PERVNADO SACKS ALVY SINGER: Can Woody Allen Work in Hollywood Again?
[Mia Farrow’s] allegations are not new, but the response from stars who once worked with Mr. Allen is now different. Mira Sorvino, who won an Oscar for her breakout role in Mr. Allen’s “Mighty Aphrodite,” publicly apologized to Ms. Farrow, while others, like Colin Firth, have distanced themselves from the director. The shift raises questions about whether Mr. Allen can maintain the clout to attract A-listers to his future films — he is at work on another screenplay — and how much any of his projects can outrun the controversy. Ms. Aronson and others believe that it helped sink Kate Winslet’s Oscar chances for Mr. Allen’s 2017 film, “Wonder Wheel.”
Onscreen, another casualty could be “A Rainy Day in New York,” Mr. Allen’s soon-to-be-completed next movie, which was financed and due to be distributed by Amazon. The company has not made any decisions about the film’s future, but Amazon is having serious conversations about ending its relationship with Mr. Allen, which could leave the movie without distribution, according to two people briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Amazon has contractual obligations to Mr. Allen and the film, one of these people noted.
Making the situation more thorny for Amazon: Roy Price, who was ousted as the head of Amazon Studios in October amid sexual harassment allegations, was the one who brought Mr. Allen to the streaming service, spending lavishly to do so. He bankrolled “Wonder Wheel” for an astounding $25 million, a huge step up from Mr. Allen’s pre-Amazon films. (Released in December, it took in just $1.4 million at the North American box office.)
According to the New York Post, “Insiders predict that, even if ‘A Rainy Day in New York’ ever sees the light of day, none of its actors will even support their own work. ‘There will be no premiere, no print or TV ads, no interviews. No one will promote it,’ said a movie distribution executive. ‘I wonder if it will even make Cannes?’ speculated a film festival insider of the May event. ‘The French love him and don’t care about sex scandals. [Actresses Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve have scoffed at the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.] But Amazon does. Jeff Bezos is not dumb.’”
I’m sure Baldwin considers Allen to be a thoroughly “modern human being,” just like Anthony Weiner.