The Foreign Filmmaker

Rumors of Allen filming his next movie in this city or that will be fast and furious from now on. We've brought your attention to reports of a 3 film deal in Spain, beginning with a film in Oviedo. This morning comes yet another rumor that Allen's next film will not be shot in Oviedo, let alone Spain.

Woody Allen has proved his popularity in France once again, with "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" opening at No. 1 and taking in $3.9 million from 412 screens in its opening weekend, the most of any of the director's films in French history, the film's distributor, Warner Bros. France, said Monday.

A total of 412 prints of the film were released in the territory, making for a per-screen average of 1,150 filmgoers. The movie was especially popular on Paris' 94 screens, with 208,554 tickets sold over the weekend. Allen is said to be planning to set his next film in the French capital.

We're happy that Allen gets to realize his life long dream of filming overseas, to make the kind of movies he's loved since he was young. But we're also sad. Whatever Works might one day be categorized as one of his final, perhaps the final, NYC film. But taking one thing with the other, we hope he continues on in Europe.

Next Movie: Spain?

A few weeks back we linked to a published report stating that Allen has signed a three-movie deal with Spain. Whether this means the Spanish government or a Spanish producer is uncertain. This morning Cafe Babel reports that Allen's next film will be set in Oviedo. They write:

Rumours on the circuit are that he will indeed be shooting his next film in the Asturian capital of Oviedo, where a bronze statue of him stands after he received the Principe de Asturias Prize for the Arts in 2002.

We'll keep you posted as confirmation becomes available.

Upcoming Projects

In a previous post we linked to a rumor that Jennifer Aniston was being considered for Allen's next picture, a romantic comedy. Chris Knight of the Montreal Gazette reports that "his [Allen] next film will be shot in New York, after which he has a three-picture deal in Spain." Time will tell. It's uncertain whether or not Knight is aware that Allen has already completed Whatever Works, which was shot in NYC.

In the meantime, it seems that Allen's operatic sojourn in LA has come to a close as he, Rebecca Hall and Javier Bardem are supporting VCB in San Sebastian.

I cribbed the photo from the good folks at Beautiful Faces.

Jennifer Aniston Rumored for Next Allen Project

This may be nothing, but recent gossip speculates that Aniston is being considered for the next Woody Allen film, an in-draft romantic comedy.