Woody Allen says he plans to retire from filmmaking.
The Oscar-winning director and screenwriter told the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia in an interview published Saturday that he plans his next film to be his last, and that he will then concentrate more on writing, as he would like to work on a novel. He said his 50th and final film, which he had previously said will be shot in France later this year, will be similar in tone to his 2005 thriller. Match point.
“My idea is basically not to make more movies and focus on writing,” Allen, 86, told the publication.
Earlier this year, in an Instagram Live conversation, Allen told Alec Baldwin that he would probably direct one last project, but the “thrills have gone” for him with making movies.
Known for his prolific production of titles, the filmmaker has seen his popularity wane significantly in the US due to the #MeToo movement and the resurgence of sexual abuse allegations by daughter Dylan Farrow.
Amazon Studios canceled its $68 million four-film deal, and the director’s recent films have struggled to find distribution.
Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering’s four-part HBO documentaries Allen v. Farrow, focused on the allegations of Farrow, which premiered in February 2021. Allen has denied the allegations, previously calling the docuseries an “ax job”.
Allen’s most recent film was Rifkin’s Festivalwhich premiered at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain in 2020, before receiving a limited release in the US from MPI Media Group.
He won the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1977 film Annie Hallwhich also took home the best picture, and he has won the best original screenplay category for Annie Hall, Hannah and her sisters and Midnight in Paris.