The filmmaker clarified a comment made to a Spanish publication.
Filmmaker Woody Allen is clarifying comments that his forthcoming project, his 50th movie, will be his last. According to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, the Annie Hall director said that he plans to focus on writing a novel and retire from moviemaking.
However, Allen's team released a statement on Monday claiming he does not plan to retire from filmmaking just yet.
"Woody Allen never said he was retiring, nor did he say he was writing another novel. He said he was thinking about not making films as making films that go straight or very quickly to streaming platforms is not so enjoyable for him, as he is a great lover of the cinema experience," read the message given to Deadline. "Currently, he has no intention of retiring and is very excited to be in Paris shooting his new movie, which will be the 50th."
Allen's upcoming film, Wasp 22, is set to start production in Europe this year. "My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing," La Vanguardia reported Allen as saying prior to his recent statement.
Allen, 86, has won 12 Academy Awards throughout his career and is known for films such as Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine, Annie Hall, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
However, Allen's career has not been without controversy. His adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, along with her mother, Mia Farrow, have accused him of sexually abusing her when she was seven. Farrow initially went public with her allegation in 1992 and recounted it in the four-part docuseries, Allen v. Farrow, in 2021.
Allen has long denied the accusation that he molested Dylan. The Connecticut State Police investigated Dylan’s allegations and did not press charges. Local law enforcement referred the case to the Yale–New Haven Hospital, which concluded that Allen had not abused Dylan and that her allegations were likely influenced by her mother. Meanwhile, Allen and Farrow’s relationship had completely devolved, with the claims further scrutinized in court during a contentious 1993 custody battle.
This past June, Allen spoke with Alec Baldwin during an Instagram Live interview about possibly stepping away from filmmaking, saying he had "one or two more" movies he planned to make.
"A lot of the thrill is gone," Allen said of modern-day movie releases. "Now you do a movie, and you get a couple of weeks in a movie house, and then it goes to streaming or pay-per-view. It's not the same. It's not as enjoyable to me."
Speaking of the allegations again him, Allen said he has "zero interest in anyone's judgments and sanctimonious posts."
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