Woody Allen will remain in the director’s chair. Statements from an interview with Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia over the weekend had suggested his next film, working title Wasp 22, could also be his last. The 86-year-old now had this denied by a spokesman: “He never said he was going to retire,” says a statement quoted by the US industry journal “Deadline”.
“He also didn’t say he was going to write a new novel”
Some statements made by Allen suggested that he might devote himself to fiction after his directing career ended. This was also rejected in the statement: “He also did not say that he would write a new novel. He said that he’s thinking about quitting making films since he doesn’t like making films that are released directly or very quickly on streaming platforms, being a great lover of the cinematic experience. He currently has no intention of retiring and is very much looking forward to shooting his new film in Paris, which will be his 50th.”
Everything used to be different
In the apparently misleading interview from the weekend, Allen was disappointed with the cinema: “The film business has changed, human stories are no longer so interesting.” At the end of June this year, Woody Allen had hinted at a possible career end in a conversation with actor Alec Baldwin. At that time he explained that the thrill was gone. His films used to be shown in cinemas “across the country”. “Now you shoot a film and it’s in a cinema for a couple of weeks. Maybe six or four weeks, and then it goes straight to streaming or pay-per-view,” Allen said. It’s just not the same as it used to be.
Filming on Allen’s next project will begin in Paris in a few weeks. The American compared the French-language film with “Match Point” from 2005: The new strip is “exciting, dramatic and also very scary”.
Shadow over a great career
Woody Allen’s directing career began in 1966 with the comedy What’s Up, Tiger Lily?. After that he shot a new film almost every year. He was nominated for an Oscar a total of 24 times; He received the trophy four times: in 1978 for “The City Neurotic” (Best Director & Best Screenplay), in 1987 for “Hannah and Her Sisters” and in 2012 for “Midnight in Paris” (both Best Screenplay). Allen has not only become a figurehead of independent cinema over the decades, but also scored a number of box office hits.
However, shadows have also fallen over his career: his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow accuses him of abusing her as a child. Allen has denied those allegations throughout his life. Recently, it has become increasingly difficult for him to realize film projects due to the allegations – for example, an Amazon series was put on hold. A possible connection between Cancel Culture efforts and the end of Allen’s career as a director is not drawn publicly, at least by him.