Director Woody Allen
Acclaimed director Woody Allen is to delve into the world of TV after signing a deal with e-commerce giant Amazon to create a TV series to help it challenge streaming service Netflix by recruiting A-listers.
This will be a first for the director of films such as Annie Hall, Manhattan and most recently, Magic in the Moonlight, and in Amazon Studios’ announcement on the venture, Allen, in his usual self-deprecating style said, “I don’t know how I got into this. I have no ideas and I’m not sure where to begin. My guess is that Roy Price (VP of Amazon Studios) will regret this.”
The as-yet undecided series will come as half-hour episodes and Allen will write and direct one full series, according to Bloomberg. The series will only be available to those subscribing to Amazon’s premium service, Amazon Prime.
In the face of posting financial losses, Amazon is going out of its way to recruit the cream of Hollywood, including directors, writers and actors to give it a competitive edge in the face of original content being produced by other subscription services and channels, including Netflix, HBO and Yahoo!, which are all looking to tap the consumers’ move towards watching their content online.
Bloomberg also reported another legendary director, Ridley Scott, is expected to produce an hour-long drama that examines an alternate history where the Allies lost World War II.
Woody Allen image via Shutterstock
