Amazon might completely cut ties with Woody Allen, and indefinitely shelve his latest (and maybe last) movie
Several actors have publicly stated that they will no longer work with Woody Allen, and it’s awesome to see actors feel empowered enough to officially state that they no longer support a man who has been accused of sexual assault for years by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow. However, it seems that the biggest blow to Woody Allen’s career is yet to come.
Amazon Studios is in the middle of a five-picture deal with Allen that Roy Price secured in 2016, with Allen’s A Rainy Day in New York being the next projectnext in line. The studio is in a tough spot as not only is public opinion pretty strongly set against Allen, but Price himself was pushed out as the Amazon studio head due to sexual harassment allegations leveled against him.
Because of these two things, Amazon has found itself in a difficult position. As Mashable reports, the company can either move forward with the movies, or cut Allen a huge check to terminate the contract. The studio has already put $25 million into A Rainy Day in New York, so cutting ties this late in the game would be a huge loss for the company. Still, The Hollywood Reporter claims Amazon is leaning toward cutting ties with Allen.
It also calls into question what would happen to the now-completed film A Rainy Day in New York.
The film was set to be released this year, and it’s not clear if Amazon will decide to drop the project altogether if they terminate the contract, or if they’d release the film with little to no promotion. There’s the added complication that some of the stars of the film, like Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Hall, have vowed to give their salary from the movie to organizations like RAINN and Time’s Up, meaning it may be unlikely that the actors would even cooperate with any attempts to promote the film.
It’s encouraging to see Amazon reconsider its relationship with Woody Allen so seriously, especially in the face of a huge financial loss. We will keep watching to see where Amazon’s relationship with Allen goes — and how it ends.