Woody Allen to take first break from directing since 1981

Woody Allen is to take his first break in directing since 1981, according to reports.

Allen, who is 82, will have a year off, and is said to have been damaged by the #MeToo movement, following the re-emergence of accusations that he molested his daughter Dylan Farrow in the 90s.

The director has long denied the claims, and charges against him were never brought.

Allen has made at least one film a year since 1981, with his 48th movie A Rainy Day In New York due for release by Amazon Studios by the end of the year.

He has a deal for three more movies after that, but is said to be looking to secure backing for an new, untitled project too.

“Woody loves working. He never takes a vacation. But he will be taking time off this year until he can find a backer,” a source told Page Six.

However, since the accusations re-emerged, Allen’s reputation in Hollywood has been severely damaged.

A host of stars he has worked with have denounced him over the claims, including Sir Michael Caine, Colin Firth, Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Hall, who have said they either regret working with him or would not do so again in the future.

“Woody always got great actors. Stars would work for scale because it gave them prestige, but with the #MeToo movement, he’s toxic,” said another producer.

Some, however, have stuck by him, including Javier Bardem, who worked with him on Vicky Christina Barcelona, where he met his future wife, Penelope Cruz.

“If there was evidence that Woody Allen was guilty, then yes, I would have stopped working with him, but I have doubts,” he told Paris Match.

“I am very shocked by this sudden treatment,” Bardem said. “Judgments in the states of New York and Connecticut found him innocent. The legal situation today is the same as in 2007.”

Other sources, however, have suggested that Allen’s problems securing backing are purely financial, rather than reputational.

“His movies don’t make money,” the source added. “For years, he’s been going from one financier to another. He even went to Europe. But he’s run out of options.”

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