Woody Allen Will Keep Making Movies, Denies Retirement Claims as He Films 50th Feature

By Greta Bjornson @greatbjornson
Published Sep. 19, 2022, 1:59 p.m. ET

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Woody Allen

Woody Allen insists he is not actually retiring after comments indicating he was done making movies circulated online over the weekend. The controversial director released a statement today contradicting what he said in an interview published by the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia and asserting he’s very much making movies, and is in fact filming his 50th.

Allen’s representative set the record straight in a statement shared with Variety: “Woody Allen never said he was retiring, not [sic] 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,” the statement reads.

His rep added, “Currently, he has no intention of retiring and is very excited to be in Paris shooting his new movie, which will be the 50th.”

Today’s statement comes after Allen caused waves in the industry by telling La Vanguardia he was shifting his career away from movie making and toward writing. He reportedly told the outlet, “My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing.”

Whether Allen’s comments were incorrectly translated or the director misspoke, he has recently hinted that his film career could be reaching its end. While speaking with Alec Baldwin on Instagram Live in June, Allen said he had lost “the thrill” of making movies and planned to create one more project, per NBC News.

Allen’s career has slowed in recent years after he was hit with sexual abuse allegations by his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow, which were detailed in the 2021 HBO documentary Allen v. Farrow. Allen has denied all allegations against him. He has also received backlash for marrying Soon-Yi Previn, the adoptive daughter of his former partner, Mia Farrow.

While his career has quieted down in the States, Allen has been welcomed more warmly in Europe, where he released Rifkin’s Festival in Spain in 2020. His 2019 film, A Rainy Day in New York, was shelved by distributor Amazon, leading Allen to sue them for over $60 million.