“My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies'': Woody Allen announces retirement from directing films

Legendary filmmaker Woody Allen is set to retire from directing films. In an interview with Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia (obtained via The Hollywood Reporter), Allen said that his next directorial venture, Wasp 22, would be his last.

During the interview, the Oscar-winning director opened up about his plans to retire from making films and focus on writing. He said (obtained via The Hollywood Reporter),

''My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing.''

Woody Allen's next film is reportedly similar to his hit 2005 film, Match Point, which starred Scarlett Johansson. The director also added that his next project, following that, will be a novel.

Read on to find out more about what Woody Allen had to say.

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Woody Allen opens up on retirement and future plans

The iconic director mentioned in the interview that after his next film, he'd like to work on a novel. Wasp 22, which will be his 50th film, is intended to be the final film of his illustrious career.

However, this isn't the first time that Allen has spoken about the end of his filmmaking career. Earlier in June this year, the director was on an Instagram Live session with actor Alec Baldwin when he said that he doesn't "get the same fun" from making films. The auteur added that he will make one more film but that a "lot of the thrill is gone" as it doesn't have the same effect as before.

He continued:

''When I started, you would do a film and it would go to movie houses all over the country and people would come.''

The director also spoke about making films in the streaming world. He noted that after a movie is made, it only gets a few weeks in the movie theater before it is taken up by a streaming platform or goes to pay-per-view.

Stating that it wasn't as enjoyable to make movies in such cases, Woody Allen said:

''People love sitting at home and watching on their big screens, … and they have good sound and a clear picture. It’s not the same thing as when I went into the movie business. ''

The director also added that he doesn't know how he feels about making movies anymore but that he will make one final movie to see how it feels. He said:

''I don’t get the same fun of doing a movie and putting it in a movie house. It was a nice feeling to know 500 people were seeing it at once.''

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What is Woody Allen's last film about?

Woody Allen's next film, Wasp 22, is reportedly set to be filmed in Paris and will feature French actors. The French-language film will be similar to his critically acclaimed thriller Match Point. The 2005 film featured Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Matthew Goode in key roles.

Allen did an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, a French newspaper, where he said that his upcoming film is "a sort of a poisonous romantic thriller" (obtained via Deadline). The film's actors have reportedly been finalized but their names are yet to be revealed. Additionally, details about the film's official release date aren't known.

Meanwhile, Woody Allen's latest film, Rifkin's Festival, received mostly mixed reviews from critics, with some criticizing the plot and repititive themes.

Over the years, Allen has directed some of the greatest American films ever made, including Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Hannah and her Sisters.