Woody Allen will release his memoir next month and the book has been described as a ‘comprehensive account of his life, both personal and professional’.
A book from the 84-year-old movie director has been rumored for years and was once thought unpublishable in the #MeToo era. But Apropos of Nothing will be released April 7, Grand Central Publishing, confirmed Monday.
‘The book is a comprehensive account of his life, both personal and professional, and describes his work in films, theater, television, nightclubs and print,’ according to Grand Central. ‘Allen also writes of his relationships with family, friends and the loves of his life.’
Financial terms were not disclosed for the book, which Grand Central quietly acquired a year ago, and a spokesman declined to provide further details about the book’s contents.
A memoir by Woody Allen is coming out next month, a division of Hachette Book Group announced Monday
‘The book is a comprehensive account of his life, both personal and professional, and describes his work in films, theater, television, nightclubs and print,’ the publisher said. Pictured, Allen speaks at the 74th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in 2002
Allen ‘writes of his relationships with family, friends, and the loves of his life,’ according to the division of Hachette Book Group. Actress Mia Farrow, left, and her son, Ronan Farrow, who played an integral role in exposing #MeToo scandals, are pictured in April 2015
In addition to the U.S., Apropos of Nothing will be released in Canada, Italy, France, Germany and Spain, followed by releases in ‘countries around the world,’ the division of Hachette Book Group said.
Allen will do ‘several interviews’ for the book, Grand Central announced.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker, known for such works as Annie Hall and The Purple Rose of Cairo, is among the most influential comedians of his time.
This cover image released by Grand Central Publishing shows ‘Apropos of Nothing,’ an autobiography by Woody Allen, to be released on April 7. (Grand Central Publishing)
But allegations by daughter Dylan Farrow that he molested her as a child in the early 1990s have effectively idled his movie career in the U.S.
Amazon Studios backed out of a production and distribution deal with Allen, and numerous actors have said they won’t work with him anymore.
His A Rainy Day In New York was released in Europe last year but not in this country.
His current production, Rifkin’s Festival, starring Christoph Waltz and Gina Gershon, was shot last summer and is seeking distribution.
Allen has denied any wrongdoing, and he was never charged after two separate investigations in the 1990s.
But Dylan’s allegations have received new attention in the #MeToo era.
An Allen memoir nearly came out more than a decade ago.
He had reportedly reached a multimillion-dollar deal with Penguin in 2003, but changed his mind.
In 2018-19, several publishers, citing #MeToo concerns, reportedly rebuffed an Allen representative who was seeking a deal for his memoir.
In May 2019, the New York Times reported: ‘In the last year, Allen quietly tried to sell a memoir, according to executives at four major publishing houses, only to be met with indifference or hard passes.’
Evan Rachel Wood pointed out in 2016 that she worked with Allen ‘years before I read Dylan’s letter. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I would again’. Allen and actress Evan Rachel Wood attend the Whatever Works Paris premiere at Cinema Gaumont Opera on June 19, 2009 in Paris, France
But according to a Grand Central spokesman, a deal was reached in March 2019 after publisher and senior vice president Ben Sevier read a completed draft of the book.
His previous books include the essay collections ‘Without Feathers’ and ‘Getting Even.’
Allen’s agreement with Hachette means he shares a publisher with one of his literary heroes, J.D. Salinger, and one of his biggest detractors, his son Ronan Farrow, whose ‘Catch and Kill’ was released last year by the Hachette division Little, Brown and Company.
In 2018-2019, several publishers, citing #MeToo concerns, reportedly rebuffed an Allen representative who was seeking a deal for his memoir
Farrow won a Pulitzer Prize for his #MeToo reporting on producer Harvey Weinstein, and for years has been estranged from his father, as is Ronan’s mother, Mia Farrow, who starred in ‘The Purple Rose of Cairo,’ ‘Hannah and Her Sisters’ and other Allen movies.
Allen’s personal life has been heavily criticized.
His wife Soon-Yi Previn was 21 when she began a relationship with Allen, who was then 56 years old.
Soon-Yi was the adopted daughter of Allen’s former partner, actress Mia Farrow. The news of their relationship in 1992 shocked the entertainment world and they married in 1997.
Dylan Farrow wrote a highly-publicized open letter in The New York Times in 2014, reiterating that the abuse took place. She continues to stand by her allegations.
As a result, Allen’s career has slowed in recent years, with several actors who had appeared in his films saying they would not work with him again. This includes Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig and Natalie Portman.
Evan Rachel Wood pointed out in 2016 that she worked with Allen ‘years before I read Dylan’s letter. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I would again’.
Woody Allen and Mia Farrow circa 1990 with their children, including Allen’s future wife, Soon-Y Previn, right
Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow, was 21 when she started a relationship with Allen, who was then 56 years old. The news of their relationship in 1992 shocked the entertainment world and they married in 1997.
But Scarlett Johansson says she has no regrets about working with Allen on three movies in the mid-2000s – Match Point (2005), Scoop (2006) and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008).
Jeff Goldblum has also said he would work with Woody Allen again.
Allen has won three Academy awards for his screenplays and has been a published writer for decades, his comic essays appearing in The New Yorker and elsewhere.
This fall, a division of Macmillan will publish Dylan Farrow’s debut novel, ‘Hush,’ billed as a ‘powerful feminist fantasy full of surprising insights.’