As the #MeToo movement has gained steamed in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein allegations, one question that many have asked is what will the ramifications be for Woody Allen, a filmmaker who has been accused of sexual assault for over two decades? Up until the recent movement, Hollywood was content to look the other way and Allen kept churning out films year after year.
But thankfully things have changed, and now reportedly Amazon Studios – the studio behind Allen’s next film, A Rainy Day In New York – have “shelved” the movie indefinitely. The studio told Page Six “no release date has ever been set for the film”.
It’s not completely clear whether that means no release at all, or simply no theatrical release. There had been a report earlier this year that Amazon may just scrap the theatrical release of the film and quietly dump it online with no publicity, but it’s now starting to sound like the movie will not see the light of day at all.
Allen wrapped filming on the project last autumn, around the time the Weinstein allegations broke. Since then, multiple actors involved in the project, including Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Hall, and Griffin Newman, have denounced the film and said they regret working with Allen. The three decided to donate their salaries to Time’s Up and RAINN, an anti-sexual violence organisation.
Even more troubling for Allen, the film itself reportedly revolves around a character played by Jude Law who has a sexual relationship with a 15-year old, played by Elle Fanning. This is hardly new ground for Allen movies – in fact, it’s very well tread – but in light of the allegations and #MeToo, Amazon has nothing to gain from releasing the film.
Dylan Farrow has long accused Allen of sexual abuse, detailing it in 2014 for The New York Times and again in a TV interview earlier this year, accusing him of molesting her in 1992 in an attic crawlspace. Allen denies the allegations.
As of now, Amazon still has a deal in place with the director for three more films. We’ll wait and see what happens with that. It’s a deal they surely regret making, and should never have made in the first place.
#Peace.Love.Amazon
