Woody Allen, persona non grata in Hollywood, secures $1.7M from Madrid for next film

Woody Allen may still be persona non grata in Hollywood, but the controversial Oscar winner has secured regional funding to set his next film in Madrid.

The Government of the Community of Madrid will give $1.7 million, or €1.5 million, to the 89-year-old Bronx-born filmmaker toward his upcoming movie, provisionally titled “Wasp 2026,” Spanish newspaper El País reported last Thursday.

The outlet cited a contract published Oct. 24 on the Portal of the Public Procurement of the Community of Madrid, which stipulates — according to a translation — that the film will be penned and directed by Allen and will be “filmed entirely in the Community of Madrid … to improve the position and visibility of the Community of Madrid as a destination.”

The document also lays out preliminary press and marketing plans for the film, intended to spotlight the Spanish capital, and stipulates that Allen must complete filming by Dec. 31, 2027.

Variety reports that “Wasp 2026” is an acronym for Woody Allen Summer Project, though the agreement states “Madrid” will need to be included in the actual name of the film.

According to the outlet, the sponsorship follows the “Annie Hall” director’s botched attempts to get funding in Barcelona as well as Italy, both of which have set the stage for prior films like 2008’s acclaimed “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and 2012’s widely panned “To Rome with Love.”

Allen’s mainstream popularity has waned since 2017 when, at the height of the #MeToo movement, his estranged adopted daughter Dylan Farrow reiterated her claims against him of childhood sexual abuse.

Connecticut authorities in the early 1990s pursued an investigation but ultimately declined to press charges against Allen, who denies the allegations.