Woody Allen, who still uses a typewriter to type his scripts, is surprisingly going all-in on Amazon. The filmmaker will have his 2016 film released by Amazon after working with Sony Pictures Classics for the past several years.
The film is still untitled, but Amazon’s announcement did reveal the film’s plot and the rest of the star-studded cast. It is a romantic comedy (duh) set in 1930s New York and Los Angeles. In addition to Blake Lively, Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg, the new movie also stars Steve Carell, Parker Posey, Jeannie Berlin, Corey Stoll and Ken Scott. Bruce Willis was once supposed to be in it, but he dropped out.
Amazon will release the film this summer theatrically before making it available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video for Prime subscribers to stream. This is the same release plan Amazon had for Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq.
“Like all beginning relationships, there is much hope, mutual affection and genuine goodwill — the lawsuits come later,” Allen joked in a statement released by Amazon, notes TheWrap.
Allen is currently developing his first ever TV project, which will also be released by Amazon and will co-star Miley Cyrus and Elaine May.
Despite the change in distribution, Allen’s 2016 movie will still be produced by Allen’s longtime collaborator Letty Aronson, along with Steve Tenenbaum and Edward Walson.
Allen’s 2015 film was Irrational Man with Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix and Posey.