Woody Allen unable to find a publisher for his memoir
Woody Allen is reportedly unable to find a publisher for a new memoir.
According to The New York Times, the director has spent the last year shopping a manuscript to the major publishing houses, but without success.
“Executives at multiple publishing houses said that an agent representing Allen approached their companies about the memoir late last year, but that they made no offers, largely because of the negative publicity that working with Allen may have generated. Some publishers declined to even read the material, which apparently consisted of a full manuscript. The executives said they knew of no other publishers who offered Allen a book deal; if one has, it has been kept tightly under wraps, and the manuscript does not seem to have been widely pitched. Some publishing executives used the word ‘toxic’ when describing the challenges of working with Allen in the current environment, noting that while he remains a significant cultural figure, the commercial risks of releasing a memoir by him were too daunting.”
Historic allegations that Allen sexually abused his daughter Dylan Farrow when she was a child have reemerged in the wake of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood.
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Allen has long denied the claims, which were dismissed by courts in 1993.
In February, the 83-year-old director, whose career has spanned six decades, filed a lawsuit against Amazon Studios for a breach of contract.
He said that the studio was backing out of a four-movie deal with him over ‘a 25-year-old, baseless allegation’.
Amazon has refused to release his latest film, A Rainy Day In New York, which has been finished for nearly a year.
“Amazon has tried to excuse its action by referencing a 25-year-old, baseless allegation against Mr. Allen, but that allegation was already well known to Amazon (and the public) before Amazon entered into four separate deals with Mr. Allen — and, in any event it does not provide a basis for Amazon to terminate the contract,” the suit reads.
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“There simply was no legitimate ground for Amazon to renege on its promises.”
Last month, Amazon defended its position.
“Allen’s actions and their cascading consequences ensured that Amazon could never possibly receive the benefit of its four-picture agreement (despite already having paid Allen a $10 million advance upon signing),” it said in a court filing.
“As a result, Amazon was justified in terminating its relationship with Allen, and Plaintiffs ultimately will not recover any of the relief they seek.”
Allen is set to film a new movie in Spain this summer.
