'25-Year-Old, Baseless Allegation': When Woody Allen's multi-film Deal with Amazon fell through

Film director Woody Allen initiated a hefty $68 million lawsuit against Amazon Studios, claiming the streaming giant reneged on their multi-film agreement due to a "25-year-old, baseless allegation," Engadget reported in early 2019.

Woody Allen vs Amazon: The $68M Lawsuit

According to the lawsuit filed with the Southern District Court of New York, Allen alleged that Amazon backed out due to an old accusation of sexual assault and abuse levied against him by his daughter, Dylan Farrow. The director's action came in response to Amazon Studios' decision to shelve his film, 'A Rainy Day in New York'.

Clouds Over 'A Rainy Day in New York'

This romantic comedy, starring Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Jude Law, and Elle Fanning, had been completed for over six months when the decision was made. Despite paying $15 million to secure the rights, Amazon chose not to distribute it, leaving the project in limbo without a release date. This decision echoed Amazon's struggle to find theatrical distribution for Allen's 2016 film 'Wonder Wheel', released amid renewed scrutiny of the sexual assault allegations against Allen.

Allen entered into a seemingly promising contract with Amazon Studios back in 2016. This agreement was set to cover five films and a TV show, but Amazon has since withdrawn from that deal. The company has remained silent on the matter, leaving Allen to contest that there is "no legal basis" for Amazon Studios' decision. He maintains that the allegations against him were already known when the initial agreement was inked.

The drawn-out legal battle between Woody Allen and Amazon Studios serves as a stark reminder of the lasting impact of past allegations on the career trajectories of figures in the spotlight, even when they fervently deny these accusations.

Several parts of the text in this article, including the title, were generated with the help of an AI tool.