American director Woody Allen isn’t retiring after all
The American filmmaker Woody Allen has moved to publicly deny that he intends to retire from making movies after the release of his forthcoming project, Wasp 22, his 50th feature to date.
Despite the director all but confirming his departure from the industry in an interview last week, it appears as though he has back-tracked, announcing that he will be staying in the realms of filmmaking for a little longer. As he told the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, “My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing”.
Now, in a statement given to The Independent, a spokesperson for the director has said that Allen made no indication that he was intending to retire, stating: “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”.
Taking part in an Instagram live video with Alec Baldwin in June 2022, the director revealed, “I’ll probably make at least one more movie. A lot of the thrill is gone. When I used to do a film, it’d go into a movie house all across the country. Now you do a movie, and you get a couple weeks in a movie house. Maybe six weeks or four weeks, and then it goes right to streaming or pay per view”.
Allen’s next movie, Wasp 22 will be shot in the French language, and whilst no plot details have been confirmed, the director told the aforementioned Spanish publication, “It will be similar to Match Point. Exciting, dramatic and also sinister”. Star of Elle and The Piano Teacher, Isabelle Huppert, is rumoured to be starring.
The celebrated filmmaker has been embroiled in controversy in recent years after his adopted daughter accused him of molesting her as a child. Though no charges have ever been brought against him, he remains a controversial figure.
Take a look at the interview between Baldwin and Allen, below.
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