Woody Allen sued Amazon for $ 68 million (Rs 483 cr) for staging his film, following the MeToo movement | Hollywood

Veteran filmmaker Woody Allen filed a $ 68 million lawsuit against Amazon Studios, alleging that the company breached its contract by refusing to distribute its latest film, A Rainy Day in New York.

It was reported in September 2018 that Amazon Studios is putting the film that stars Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Elle Fanning, Rebecca Hall and Jude Law on hold.

The decision to set aside the project stems from the renewed attention paid to the director by Harvey Weinstein. the scandal and the # MeToo movement. He was accused of badually badaulting his stepdaughter, Dylan Farrow, at the age of seven in the early 1990s.

According to Variety, the 83-year-old filmmaker claims in his lawsuit that Amazon gave only vague reasons for dropping the project. "Amazon has tried to excuse its action by referring to a 25-year groundless allegation against Mr. Allen, but this claim was already well known to Amazon (and the public) before it". Amazon does not enter into four separate contracts with Mr Allen – and in any event it does not allow Amazon to terminate the contract, "it was alleged. The lawsuit also claims that there is "no legitimate reason for Amazon to disavow its promises."

The filmmaker claims more than $ 68 million in damages to Amazon Studios. The film was the fourth collaboration between the director and the studio, after Cafe Society, Crisis in Six Scenes and Wonder Wheel. In 2016, the studio signed a five-frame deal with Allen, who had been making a feature film every year since 1982. After the charges against Allen have resurfaced, many actors including Michael Caine, Greta Gerwig and Kate Winslet had expressed their regret for the work. with the director.

Hall and Chalamet announced that they would donate their salaries to A Rainy Day in New York to charitable organizations to help victims of badual abuse.

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First published: 08 February 2019 15:23 IST