Just kidding: Woody Allen isn't actually gonna retire, he was only thinking about it
Despite past claims he would step away from filmmaking to focus on writing, Allen now says he has ‘no intention of retiring’
Audiences may have been recently deprived of a Batgirl with Brendan Fraser or a vibrant world of animation on streaming, but never fear: Woody Allen wants to make his 50th movie. The director, who had seemingly expressed intentions of retiring in the name of focusing on writing in an interview with Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia published over the weekend, has now changed his tune on any purported last hurrah.
“Woody Allen never said he was retiring, [nor] did he say he was writing another novel,” a spokesperson for Allen shares in a statement with Variety. “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.”
Although Allen may be rearing to make more movies, the list of talent eager to work with him has dwindled considerably since his Annie Hall heyday. Actors such as Drew Barrymore, Greta Gerwig, and Kate Winslet have all expressed regret in working with him due to longstanding sexual abuse allegations against Allen from his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow. Farrow alleges that Allen sexually assaulted her in 1992 when she was seven years old; the case was chronicled in HBO’s 2021 docuseries Allen v. Farrow. Allen has repeatedly denied all allegations.
Allen’s marriage to Soon-Yi Previn—the adopted daughter of Allen’s ex-wife Mia Farrow’s ex-husband André Previn—has also been a consistent source of criticism. Allen and Soon-Yi had their first “friendly encounter” (in her own words) when Soon-Yi was in high school; they began a sexual relationship in 1991, when Soon-Yi was 21 and Allen was 56.
Due to the controversies around him, working overseas has become a regular pursuit for Allen, given that both Amazon Prime and Hachette Book Group have previously shelved his work. Allen’s last film, 2020's Rifkin’s Festival, was filmed in San Sebastian, Spain, and premiered to open the San Sebastian Film Festival. At that press conference, Allen also stated he “never thought of retiring.” Two years and one extremely incriminating documentary later, it appears he’s returned to the sentiment.