Amazon says it was ‘justified’ in terminating Woody Allen deal

Allen is suing the company for backing out of a film deal over what he says are ‘baseless’ accusations

Amazon Studios has said it was “justified” in ending its film deal with Woody Allen, after the filmmaker sued the company.

Allen has accused the company of backing out of a film deal over what he says are “baseless” accusations that he molested his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992. The allegations resurfaced in light of the #MeToo movement.

The filmmaker says he deserves at least $68m in damages for Amazon Studios’s refusal to distribute his completed movie A Rainy Day in New York, and its decision to abandon a four-picture production and distribution arrangement.

The distributor has alleged that the director’s comments about the #MeToo movement ”sabotaged” its attempts to promote his films.

Amazon Studios has asked a New York judge, in a response filed on Wednesday, to reject portions of the case, saying it entered a deal with Allen in August 2017, two months before the allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein first sparked the #MeToo movement.

Lawyers then claim Allen “made a series of public comments suggesting that he failed to grasp the gravity of the issues or the implications for his own career”.

In an interview, the director appeared to express sympathy for Weinstein. “The whole Harvey Weinstein thing is very sad for everybody involved,” he said. “You do hear a million fanciful rumours all the time. And some turn out to be true and some – many – are just stories about this actress, or that actor.”

He backtracked on the comments, saying: “When I said I felt sad for Harvey Weinstein I thought it was clear the meaning was because he is a sad, sick man. I was surprised it was treated differently. Lest there be any ambiguity, this statement clarifies my intentions and feelings.”

Allen later said he “should be the poster boy for the #MeToo movement“, adding: “What bothers me is that I get linked with them. People who have been accused by 20 women, 50 women, 100 women of abuse and abuse and abuse – and I, who was only accused by one woman in a child custody case which was looked at and proven to be untrue, I get lumped in with these people.”

He also accused Farrow of ”cynically using the #MeToo movement” when she repeated her allegations that she had been abused.

Amazon Studios said the comments arrived while it was attempting to promote his film Wonder Wheel, “effectively sabotaging those efforts”. The company also pointed out that a number of actors expressed regret at working with Allen, including Colin Firth and Mira Sorvino.

“Understood in the broader context,” Amazon said. “Allen’s actions and their cascading consequences ensured that Amazon could never possibly receive the benefit of its four-picture agreement (despite already having paid Allen a 10 million-dollar advance upon signing).”

“As a result, Amazon was justified in terminating its relationship with Allen, and Plaintiffs ultimately will not recover any of the relief they seek.”