Spanish government to fund new Woody Allen movie
Woody Allen is to return to directing with a new movie funded by the Madrid government.
The money is coming from the Government of the Community of Madrid, which they have revealed on a public procurement portal. The director will receive €1.5 million for the project.
Allen will receive €150,000 in 2025, €600,000 in 2026, and €750,000 in 2027. It has been given the working title of WASP 2026, which is an acronym for Woody Allen Special Project 2026. However, as part of the agreement, Madrid must feature in the title of the upcoming movie.
The document, obtained by El Pais, states, “Woody Allen is one of the most multifaceted contemporary artists on the cinematic scene, having shaped one of the most original and highly regarded styles in filmmaking.”
It continues, “The advertising and promotion of destinations through film has been a branding tool throughout the history of cinema.”
The filing then highlighted Allen’s 2008 film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which was shot in Barcelona and noted how that helped to promote the capital of Catalonia. For that film, he was paid €1.5 million by the City Council and the Catalan Government, which is the same fee he is set to receive from the Community of Madrid.
It also broke down the stages at which the fee will be paid to the production company behind the movie, from the announcement of Madrid’s involvement to international film premieres. The instalments will be made over 26 months, “which must necessarily end before December 31, 2027.”
In a recent interview with the same Spanish publication that broke the news of his upcoming project in Madrid, Allen said he’d only return to directing if somebody else was putting up the bill, stating, “Only if someone comes to me with the money. I always have problems with financing, because they want to know what the film is about and which star is going to act in it, and I don’t want to have to discuss any of that.”
No cast or further information about the film are currently available. Allen’s last movie, Coup de chance, was a French-language feature that arrived in 2023.
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