Woody Allen returns to Spain for Madrid-backed comedy
Usagevpn.com – Woody Allen is preparing to begin work on his 51st feature film, with Madrid and the nearby historic town of Aranjuez set to provide the main locations for a new comedy. The 90-year-old American filmmaker introduced the project in the Spanish capital on Thursday, ahead of a scheduled start to production on 5 October.
The film does not yet have a confirmed title. It is currently being developed under the working name Wasp 2026 and is expected to combine romance, suspicion and unfaithfulness within a diplomatic setting. Filming is planned to last about six weeks, using more than 30 sites across Madrid and Aranjuez.
Allen appeared at the presentation with Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Madrid regional government, and Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida. Their administrations are jointly providing €3 million for the production through sponsorship agreements designed to promote the city internationally.
Public funding tied to Madrid’s screen presence
The Madrid City Council will contribute €1.5 million, while the regional government will provide the same amount. With the overall production budget estimated at roughly €12 million, the public contribution represents around one quarter of the project’s financing.
The arrangement comes with clear promotional expectations. Madrid must be included in the eventual title, and the capital is required to feature in a recognisable way on screen. City officials have presented the funding as an investment in Madrid’s profile as a destination for visitors, cultural activity and international film production.
For viewers, the scope of the shoot suggests that the setting will be more than a backdrop. The planned use of dozens of locations gives the production room to show different sides of the capital alongside Aranjuez, which lies south of Madrid and is known for its historic royal setting.
The cast will include Alexi Wasser, Jemima Kirke, Peter Vives, Marton Csokas and Jakob Oftebro. A substantial part of the technical team is expected to be Spanish, extending the project’s connection to the local screen industry beyond its locations.
A familiar connection with Spain
The new film marks another Spanish chapter in Allen’s long career. He previously made Vicky Cristina Barcelona, set in Barcelona, and Rifkin’s Festival, which was filmed in San Sebastián. Madrid now becomes the latest Spanish city to play a central part in one of his productions.
Allen has again spoken about the possibility that he may retire from directing. At the Madrid event, he described filmmaking as demanding work and recalled having said in the past that he intended to step away from cinema. Yet the prospect of telling this particular story in Madrid was enough to keep him behind the camera.
“Deeply” concerned about the rise of fascism, Allen said, while stressing his longstanding opposition to it in government and in cultural spheres including theatre, censorship and literature.
He was also asked about demonstrations connected to Madrid’s housing crisis. Allen declined to offer a view on that issue, explaining that he has not regarded himself as a director motivated by political campaigns. He said his films have generally concentrated on personal bonds, romantic complications and existential concerns.
Long-running controversy remains part of the public discussion
Allen’s return to Spain is also likely to renew attention on controversies that have accompanied his public career for decades. The most prominent concerns allegations made by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, who has said Allen sexually abused her in 1992, when she was seven years old.
Allen has repeatedly denied the allegation and has never been formally charged or put on trial in relation to the claims. In 1993, Connecticut state prosecutor Frank Maco said there was probable cause for charges, but chose not to proceed, saying a court case could be harmful for Dylan Farrow. Separately, specialists at Yale-New Haven Hospital’s child sexual abuse clinic concluded after an assessment that Dylan had not been sexually abused.
The matter returned to international attention years later, especially during the #MeToo movement and after the 2021 documentary series Allen v. Farrow. A number of Hollywood figures publicly distanced themselves from Allen during that period.
His business relationship with Amazon also ended in litigation after the company cancelled an agreement to make several films. Allen sued Amazon for $68 million, and the dispute was later resolved through an out-of-court settlement whose terms were not disclosed.
Another frequently debated aspect of Allen’s private life is his relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow and André Previn. Their relationship became public in 1992, while Allen had long been romantically involved with Mia Farrow. Allen and Soon-Yi Previn married in Venice in 1997, when he was 62 and she was 27, an age difference of 35 years.
As production approaches, the Madrid project brings together several strands of Allen’s late career: his continued ability to mount international productions, his attraction to European settings and the public debate that continues to surround him. Whether Wasp 2026 ultimately becomes his final feature remains uncertain, but its arrival will put Madrid at the centre of his next cinematic story.
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