Woody Allen has denied recent quotes claiming he would retire after his next film.
Last week, an interview with a Spanish paper said Allen’s plan would be to retire after the release of his next movie, saying that he will start writing a novel after that point.
However, in a statement obtained by Variety the filmmaker clarified the comments, with his representatives saying: “Woody Allen never said he was retiring, not 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.”
Earlier this year, the director admitted that his passion for filmmaking has started to fade, and that he no longer finds it enjoyable.
Speaking to Alec Baldwin over Instagram Live, he said: “A lot of the thrill is gone,” said Allen. “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.
“I don’t get the same fun doing a movie and putting it in a theater. It was a nice feeling to know that 500 people were seeing it once… I don’t know how I feel about making movies. I’m going to make another one and I’ll see how it feels.”
Allen’s next film, Wasp 22, is set to begin filming in Paris this autumn, and in an interview with La Vanguardia Allen said: “My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing,” adding that a novel will be his next project.
Last year, Allen responded to allegations of abuse from adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in his first interview in 30 years.
Farrow has alleged that the filmmaker sexually abused her in 1992 when she was seven years old – claims that have entered the spotlight again in the wake of HBO‘s Allen v. Farrow docu-series. Allen has repeatedly denied the accusations in the past.
Speaking on CBS Sunday Morning in March 2021, which was filmed in July 2020 prior to the series airing, Allen said of the abuse claims: “It’s so preposterous, and yet the smear has remained.
“And they still prefer to cling to if not the notion that I molested Dylan, the possibility that I molested her. Nothing that I ever did with Dylan in my life could be misconstrued as that.”
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