UPDATE (3/4): Ronan Farrow took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce that he’s separating ties with his publisher, Hachette Book Group, for acquiring his father Woody Allen’s memoir and concealing the decision from him.
Farrow released Catch and Kill last fall, a book “about how powerful men, including Woody Allen, avoid accountability for sexual abuse,” he wrote. “I’ve also told Hachette that a publisher that would conduct itself in this way is one I can’t work with in good conscience.”
His sister Dylan also tweeted about Allen’s upcoming memoir, claiming that she did not receive a fact-checking call, which, according to the New York Times, isn’t uncommon in book publishing.
Michael Pietsch, chief executive of Hachette, told Times that “Grand Central publishing believes strongly that there’s a large audience that wants to hear the story of Woody Allen’s life as told by Woody Allen himself. That’s what they’ve chosen to publish.”
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Grand Central Publishing announced on Monday that Apropos of Nothing, the long-rumored Woody Allen memoir considered unpublishable in the wake of #MeToo, will be out next month on April 7th.
“The book is a comprehensive account of his life, both personal and professional, and describes his work in films, theater, television, nightclubs, and print,” Grand Central wrote in its press announcement. “Allen also writes of his relationships with family, friends, and the loves of his life.”
Grand Central, a division of Hachette Book Group, acquired the rights to the book last year for an undisclosed sum of money. Apropos of Nothing will be released internationally, and the publishing house has stated that Allen will give “several interviews” for the book’s press tour.
Allen, well-known for directing films such as Annie Hall and Manhattan, has been accused of molestation by his daughter Dylan Farrow, his former partner Mia Farrow, and his son Ronan Farrow, who has since gone on to report on high-profile #MeToo stories such as the allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
The allegations against Allen have been public knowledge since the early Nineties, and in recent years — both preceding and in the wake of the #MeToo movement — they have stifled Allen’s movie career, with Amazon Studios backing out of a production and distribution deal with the director and several prominent actors stating they won’t work with him again. Even so, he continues to produce projects with well-known Hollywood stars like Kate Winslet and Kristen Stewart.
Allen’s film A Rainy Day in New York was released in Europe in 2019 but not in the U.S. His latest project, Rifkin’s Festival, starring Christoph Waltz and Gina Gershon, was filmed last summer and is currently seeking distribution.
