Woody Allen has been quick to deny rumours of his retirement, that came out of an interview he gave to a Spanish magazine, saying his next film would be his last.
The 86-year-old director has issued a statement Monday to clarify what he meant, 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.”
The confusion appears to have come out of an interview Allen gave to La Vanguardia ahead of Wasp 22, to be filmed in Europe, in which he said: “My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing.”
He added that his next project will be a novel.
This isn’t the first time Allen has discussed stepping back from the movie business. In a conversation with Alec Baldwin live-streamed on Instagram in June, Allen said he plans to direct “one or two more” films, but also said “the thrill is gone” because of the decline of the theatrical experience.
