Woody Allen presented his 51st film, provisionally titled Wasp 2026, which will begin shooting on 5 October across Madrid and Aranjuez. The City Council and Madrid’s regional government will jointly provide €3 million in sponsorship — about a quarter of the film’s €12 million budget — and the agreement requires Madrid to be prominent on screen and in the title. The contemporary comedy stars Alexi Wasser, Jemima Kirke and others, and has renewed attention to long-standing controversies surrounding the director.
Woody Allen Unveils Madrid-Set Comedy Backed By €3M In Public Sponsorship
Muchas gracias: Woody Allen presents new film in Madrid made with €3m from public purse
Woody Allen is returning to the director’s chair. The 90-year-old filmmaker presented his 51st feature in Madrid on Thursday — a contemporary comedy provisionally titled Wasp 2026 — which is due to begin principal photography on 5 October and will be shot mainly across Madrid and Aranjuez.
Allen attended the launch with Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Madrid region, and José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the city’s mayor. The City Council and the regional government will jointly provide a €3 million sponsorship package tied to promoting Madrid; with an overall budget of about €12 million, that public support represents roughly one quarter of the production costs.
What The Film Is And Who's In It
The untitled project, described as a contemporary comedy of romance, intrigue and infidelity set against a diplomatic backdrop, will star Alexi Wasser, Jemima Kirke, Peter Vives, Marton Csokas and Jakob Oftebro. Much of the technical crew will be Spanish. Filming is expected to run for approximately six weeks and use more than 30 locations across Madrid and Aranjuez.
Sponsorship Conditions And Civic Promotion
The sponsorship contracts include explicit publicity conditions: the name "Madrid" must appear in the film’s title and the city should have a clearly recognisable on-screen presence. City officials say the funding is intended to boost Madrid’s international profile as a cultural, tourist and filmmaking destination.
Politics, Protests And Public Questions
When asked about local housing protests in Madrid, Allen declined to comment on the city’s political disputes, saying he does not consider himself a politically driven filmmaker and that his work focuses on human relationships and existential and romantic themes. He did say he was "deeply" concerned about the rise of fascism and reaffirmed his opposition to it in all forms, including censorship in theatre and literature.
Context: Past Controversies
Allen’s return to Spain has renewed attention to controversies that have shadowed his public image. The most prominent involves allegations of sexual abuse made by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow, who says Allen abused her in 1992 when she was seven; Allen has denied the claim. He has never been formally charged. In 1993, a Connecticut prosecutor said there was probable cause but declined to seek charges, citing concern for the alleged victim, and a Yale-New Haven Hospital clinic later concluded its assessment without finding signs of sexual abuse.
The dispute resurfaced amid the #MeToo movement and after the 2021 documentary series Allen v. Farrow, prompting some industry figures to distance themselves from the director. His professional relationship with Amazon ended in litigation after the company cancelled a multi-picture agreement; Allen sued for roughly €68 million and the parties later reached an undisclosed out-of-court settlement.
Another widely reported episode in his personal life is his relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow and André Previn. The relationship became public in 1992 while Allen had been involved with Mia Farrow; Allen and Previn married in Venice in 1997 when he was 62 and she was 27.
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