Woody Allen has denied reports that he is retiring, after a widely circulated article in a Spanish newspaper quoted him as saying his current film would be his last. The 86-year-old filmmaker had been speaking to La Vanguardia before the filming of his new project, currently titled Wasp 22, in Paris.
A statement issued on behalf of Allen said: '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. Currently, he has no intention of retiring and is very excited to be in Paris shooting his new movie, which will be the 50th.'
La Vanguardia had quoted Allen as saying: 'My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing', adding that his next project was a novel. The newspaper also quoted him as saying that Wasp 22 would be 'similar to' his 2005 film Match Point, and would be 'exciting, dramatic and also sinister'.
In June, Allen expressed disillusion with the film-making process in an Instagram Live interview with actor Alec Baldwin, saying: 'A lot of the thrill is gone. 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.'
Allen's four-picture deal with Amazon Studios collapsed in 2018 amid renewed attention around allegations by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, that he had sexually abused her. Allen has always denied the allegation; two investigations were closed with no charges being brought against him. His memoir Apropos of Nothing was dropped by Hachette but later published by Arcade in 2020, which also released his short story collection Zero Gravity.
