Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York looks set to be given a new lease of life in Europe after the film was shelved by Amazon following allegations of molestation levelled at Allen by his daughter Dylan Farrow.
Several actors have also distanced themselves from the director following the allegations, including A Rainy Day in New York's stars Timothee Chalamet and Selena Gomez, while Amazon tore up a four-film deal with the director, of which A Rainy Day was to be the first. Allen in turn sued the streamer for $68 million (Dh249.7m).
According to Variety, however, when Amazon cancelled Allen's contract, it permitted the director to keep the rights to the completed first film, which has now been picked up for Italian distribution by Italian outfit Lucky Red.
Lucky Red has confirmed reports in the Italian media that it will release the film in cinemas in October, leading to speculation that the film may premiere at September’s Venice Film Festival.
Variety also cites unnamed sources who claim distribution deals are also either in place or at an advanced stage of negotiation in a number of other European territories.
Little is known at present about the plot of A Rainy Say in New York, other than that it is an ensemble rom-com starting Chalamet, Gomez, Elle Fanning and Jude Law.
Not all of the film's cast have chosen to distance themselves from Allen and the film. Law told The New York Times last November that the shelving of the film by Amazon was a "terrible shame." He added: "I'd love to see it. People worked really hard and put a lot in, obviously himself [Allen] included."
Allen is currently working on a new film being backed by Barcelona-based Mediapro, which has financed several other of his films, including Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris.