Woody Allen, 90, is in Madrid getting ready to shoot his 51st film. This morning, the filmmaker held a press conference detailing the upcoming project, which is still untitled.
It's a comedy with a romance, with intrigue, with infidelity and all the ingredients that I always think are going to make a great story. I think I have all the ingredients for a very good movie, but that remains to be seen. Now comes the hard part. I've got to make the movie and put it together, and it has to live up to my expectations. That doesn't mean that it will, but I'll do my best.
The cameras roll October 5 in Madrid. The deal? Millions in public funding, on the condition that the city gets its close-up. The total budget is around $14M, and principal photography will last six weeks.
The real surprise? José Luis Alcaine, 87, is behind the camera this time, not Vittorio Storaro, who shot Allen's most recent films. Given that Alcaine has been Almodóvar's go-to DP on 8 films, it'll be fascinating to see whether a bit of that Almodóvar look bleeds into the new film.
As for the cast, a few weeks ago I reported on two actresses, Ali Wasser and Jemima Jo Kirke. Allen confirmed both this morning. The rest of the ensemble includes Marton Csokas ("The Lord of the Rings"), Jakob Oftebro ("Hamilton"), and Peter Vives ("The Time in Between").
Wasser had quit acting altogether before Allen came calling. Her reaction? "After fainting, I auditioned and when I got the part, I fainted again." She added: "I feel like my preparation has been my entire life of being introduced to his films."
Wasser is best known for "Messy" (2024), her feature debut as writer, director, and star, and one of John Waters' favorite films of 2025. Her acting credits also include "Girls," "Search Party," "Poker Face," "Art School Confidential," and "Cabin Fever 2." She also ran the cult dating blog "I'm Boy Crazy." Jemima Jo Kirke, a British-American artist, is best known as Jessa on the HBO series "Girls."
Allen's last film was 2023's "Coup de Chance," the 50th he's directed, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Shot entirely in French, it turned out to be one of the better efforts he's given us over the past 10 years. It was also well received by critics and currently holds an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it his best-reviewed film since 2013's "Blue Jasmine."
That's the thing with Allen: 50 films, with as many strong ones as mediocre ones. His very best work includes "Annie Hall," "Hannah and Her Sisters," "Crimes and Misdemeanors," "The Purple Rose of Cairo," "Manhattan," "Zelig," "Broadway Danny Rose," "Radio Days," "Husbands and Wives," and "Bullets Over Broadway."
Remember when DC Studios told us Steven Soderbergh was coming in for "the final weeks of principal photography" on "The Batman Part II"? Yeah, now it's months.