Woody Allen considering Rome shoot for next film

Information obtained by ScreenDaily points to a potential July shooting date in the Italian capitol for at least some  – if not all – of Allen’s next picture, of which details, including title, storyline and cast have not yet emerged.

All signs point at Medusa to be on board at least as local distributor, although no official comment was obtained from the local production-distribution powerhouse.

Presumably, with Allen a continual presence in Europe, Medusa could serve as a new co-production partner for the director who has only made one film Stateside – Whatever Works – out of his past seven titles starting with the London-set Match Point. Allen’s next film could be the final of the agreed trio of pictures that Spain’s Mediapro signed onto with Gravier Production’s Letty Aronson (Allen’s sister) after their success with Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Allen is currently in post in his most recent high profile Paris-shot project Midnight In Paris, which includes French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy in the cast and will be the opening film at Cannes in May. That film along with You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, set in London, were made with Mediapro as partner.

Stranger fared well in Italy where it was distributed by Medusa taking in $6.3m (E4.5m).

Medusa has most often distributed Allen’s films in Italy since 2001’s Curse Of The Jade Scorpion, taking a space previously filled by the now defunct producer and distributor Cecchi Gori.

Cassandra’s Dream, distributed by Filmauro and Melinda And Melinda, distributed by Fox, were the exceptions.

European locales have wooed Allen over the past years starting with the London-set Match Point, Scoop and Cassandra’s Dream followed by the Oscar-winning Spain-set Vicky Cristina Barcelona, before going back to London for You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger and onto Paris with Midnight.