Woody Allen denied he will retire days later which seemed to confirm he would stop making films.
The 86-year-old award-winning director is working on his 50th film and told a Spanish newspaper it would be his last.
“My idea, in principle, is not to make more films and focus on writing these stories and, well, now I’m thinking more of a novel,” he said in an interview published Saturday in La Vanguardia.
His comments have been widely interpreted to mean that he would stop directing films after finishing production on Wasp 22, which is set in Paris.
Allen has now denied that that was what he meant.
His spokesperson said, “Woody Allen never said he was retiring, nor did he say he was writing another novel.
“He said he was thinking of not making films, because making films that go directly or very quickly to streaming platforms is not that fun for him, as he is a huge lover of the cinematic experience.”
Allen “has no plans to retire” at the moment, he added, and is focused on his next film.
The writer, actor, comedian and director is best known for films such as Annie Hall, Manhattan and Midnight In Paris and has won four Oscars.
Allen was previously the subject of dispute about the nature of his relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, his wife.
Ms. Previn is the adopted daughter of musician Andrei Previn and actress Mia Farrow, who had a 12-year relationship with Allen.
The MeToo movement brought attention to the couple, who are believed to have married when Ms. Previn was 26 and Allen 61.
He also focused on allegations that Allen sexually assaulted his adoptive stepdaughter Dylan Farrow, who wrote a personal essay for the New York Times in 2014.
Allen denied claims involving Ms. Farrow, first made in 1993, and was never arrested or prosecuted.
