You can set your watch to Woody Allen‘s schedule, with the filmmaker working steadily and without interruption for decades, releasing at least one movie per year. Even when the original sexual assault allegations were made against him by Mia Farrow in the early 1990s, the director still managed to keep his working routine going. However, the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement could unhinge Allen’s prolific process.
It was recently reported that the rollout of Allen’s next picture, “A Rainy Day In New York,” might be uncertain as cast members of the film such as Rebecca Hall and Timothée Chalamet distance themselves from the director, while his previous collaborators such as David Krumholtz, Mira Sorvino, Rachel Brosnahan, and Colin Firth have also stated their regret about having chosen to work with him. Now, word is emerging that Amazon Studios, who are still slated to release ‘Rainy Day,’ might dump the film entirely, leaving the picture without distribution. Another scenario being batted around is that the film will quietly get tossed on the streaming service “without any p.r. or theatrical release.”
Adding another element to all of this is Amazon still dealing with the fallout from former Amazon Studios chief Roy Price, who greenlit the film in the first place, and also gave the thumbs up to “Wonder Wheel,” which was budgeted at $25 million, which is on the very high end for the usually lean costs for Allen’s pictures. Roy resigned in October after allegations of sexual harassment surfaced, and the streaming giant has been scuttling many of the TV projects that were approved under his watch, including fare such as “One Mississippi” and “I Love Dick.” There seems to be an overall shift in priorities at Amazon, away from niche programming, to more blockbuster, globally oriented material such as their brewing “The Lord Of The Rings” TV series.
In addition to wanting to disassociate themselves from Allen, Amazon’s relationship with the director hasn’t been particularly lucrative. “Wonder Wheel” has only earned a meagre $1.3 million at the domestic box office, however, abroad it has tallied $8.9 million, with the picture opening in France this week. Whatever is happening in Hollywood, Allen’s reputation abroad seems to have taken less damage.
As per usual, even with “A Rainy Day In New York” in post-production, Allen has financing for his next movie lined up. The question, however, is casting. The director has never had a problem landing A-list names for his pictures, with everyone willing to get paid scale, just to put a Woody Allen movie on their CV. However, this time around, “He’s having trouble casting his new film” according to anonymous sources. But the director’s sister and longtime producer Letty Aronson doesn’t seem to be worried about trying to get Allen’s next movie cast and made in the current climate, “I have no doubt, that he’ll be able to find new talent,” she said.
There is only so long Amazon can continue waiting until they make a decision about ‘Rainy Day,’ but for Allen, it looks like the fallout might be a deluge. [The New York Times/The New York Post]