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Woody Allen Settles His $68 Million Lawsuit Against Amazon

Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

Months after Woody Allen sued Amazon Studios for breach of contract, the director and studio have settled the suit out of court. Per Variety, attorneys for Allen and Amazon, respectively, filed a joint notice dismissing the case on Friday evening. Terms of the settlement were not publicly disclosed. Back in February, Allen decided to file the $68 million lawsuit against Amazon due the company shelving his newest film, A Rainy Day in New York, from distribution, as well as ending his lucrative production deal — which came after accusations of sexual assault by his daughter, Dylan Farrow, entered the news cycle once again. “Amazon has tried to excuse its action by referencing a 25-year old, baseless allegation against Mr. Allen, but that allegation was already well known to Amazon and the public before Amazon entered into four separate deals with Mr. Allen — and, in any event it does not provide a basis for Amazon to terminate the contract,” Allen’s complaint stated at the time. “There simply was no legitimate ground for Amazon to renege on its promises.”

Allen first signed with Amazon in 2015 to make the TV series A Crisis in Six Scenes. A year later, the company bought what would become Café Society, and subsequent deals were made for three more films, including Wonder Wheel. When Amazon filed a response to Allen’s lawsuit in April, the filing claimed that due to Allen’s public comments about the #MeToo movement, A Rainy Day in New York couldn’t be released and promoted, and their deal thus couldn’t be completed. “Understood in the broader context, Allen’s actions and their cascading consequences ensured that Amazon could never possibly receive the benefit of its four-picture agreement,” Amazon said, “despite already having paid Allen a $10-million advance upon signing.”

Woody Allen Settles His $68 Million Lawsuit Against Amazon