Woody Allen Reveals Madrid-Set Film: 'Romance, Intrigue, Infidelity'

Woody Allen, 90, will shoot his next film in Madrid from Oct. 5 — his first production in the Spanish capital, backed by millions in public funding on the condition that it showcases the city on screen.

The still-untitled project, provisionally titled "Woody Allen Fall Project 2026," is a comedy set in a diplomatic milieu. "Madrid is a very elegant and beautiful city and perfect for the kind of atmosphere that I wanted for the story," Allen said at a press conference in Madrid, where he presented two of his leads, Alexi Wasser and Peter Vives.

"It's a comedy with a romance, with intrigue, with infidelity and all the ingredients that I always think it is going to make a great story," Allen said. "I think I have all the ingredients for a very good movie, but that remains to be seen. Now comes the hard part. I've got to make the movie and put it together, and it has to live up to my expectations. That doesn't mean that it will, but I'll do my best."

The film is produced by veteran Spanish production-distribution outfit Wanda Vision, Allen's New York-based Gravier Productions and Puerto Rico-based 3SIX9 Studios. WestEnd Films has recently boarded as its world sales agent.

Wanda Vision's Miguel Morales, Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida and Madrid Community President Isabel Diaz Ayuso attended the press conference, signaling the project's importance to the capital.

Morales revealed that principal photography will run for six weeks across around 30 locations in Madrid and Aranjuez. His conversations with Allen began in Venice and Berlin about shooting in the Basque Country and the Canary Islands, which offer stronger tax incentives — but Allen insisted on Madrid.

"We have a wonderful, predominantly Spanish technical crew, with master cinematographer José Luis Alcaine, Adam Baines as production designer, Sonia Grande as costume designer, Daniela Ford as first assistant director, Teddy Villalba as production manager, and more than 370 Spanish technicians who will participate at some point in the filming and post-production of the film, all of which will take place entirely in Madrid, with the exception of the editing," Morales said.

Beyond Vives, the film will feature some 50 Spanish actors, including some immigrant background actors.

Mayor Martinez-Almeida thanked Allen for shooting in "the city of Madrid and also in such a wonderful city as Aranjuez, which we must not forget is a World Heritage Site."

Ayuso framed the project in civic terms. "We are especially pleased that the man who has transported the magic of the streets of New York and their peculiarities to the rest of the world will now do the same with this city and this region," she said, noting that Allen had said in an interview that "the light, atmosphere and streets of Madrid weighed more heavily than other benefits when choosing where and when to shoot his new film."

Allen said he plans to use music "that is local and appropriate and relevant to Madrid," and revealed that his first visit to the city was to play jazz.

Barcelona-born Vives, best known for the fashion-world drama series "Velvet" and for playing Angel in "The Cheetah Girls 2," offered a guarded account of his role. "I play a diplomat and actually the main character is my wife in the movie. So obviously, as Mr. Allen has said, there's a lot of ingredients to add into this small cocktail, and there's not much more we can say," he said.

Wasser, whose credits include HBO Max's "Girls" and David Lowery's "A Ghost Story," said she had given up on acting when Allen's casting agent called. "After fainting, I auditioned and when I got the part, I fainted again," she said.

"I can't stop staring at Mr. Woody Allen because I'm a super fan. You know, I love this man. This is my favorite filmmaker in the world. So, I feel like my preparation has been my entire life of being introduced to his films," Wasser said.

Wasser and Vives join Marton Csokas ("The Lord of the Rings"), Jemima Kirke ("Girls") and Jakob Oftebro ("Hamilton") in the cast.

Asked about Madrid's housing crisis and protests, Allen declined to engage. "I've never been political so I don't have opinions on socio-political matters. I don't have deeper insights than the average person," he said.

He also reflected on how his style has shifted with age. "When I was younger, I was a lot more conventional, dedicated and as I got older, I got lazier and used mostly long shots. So over the years, it evolved into a style of more long shots, which my actors were grateful for as it didn't require repeating scenes for close-ups," he said.

On persistent questions about retirement, Allen said the economics of cinema had dimmed his enthusiasm — but not enough to refuse Madrid. "I chose not to retire although it is grueling to make films because it's hard work. You make a movie and they put it on television so quickly. It used to be you make a movie, you put it in the cinema and it lasts in the cinema for a month or a year. And it had a different dynamic to its presentation. So I'm not as enthused about making a movie but the idea of making this story in Madrid, I couldn't turn down. It was too exciting for me."

Whether the film lives up to its director's expectations will be decided over six weeks of shooting — and, as Allen himself conceded, "that remains to be seen."