Veteran director Woody Allen has announced that he will hang his boots after the release of his next film Wasp 22.

The 86-year-old filmmaker told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that he was set to begin production on his swan song later this year in Paris with an all-French cast. “My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing,” he said as quoted by the entertainment outlet Variety.

Allen’s next project will be a novel, he added.

Previously, Allen had described Wasp 22 as “a sort of poisonous romantic thriller” and compared it to his 2005 film Match Point.

In an interview with Alec Baldwin live-streamed on Instagram in June, the multiple Oscar winner has hinted at retirement, saying he plans to direct “one or two more” films.

Allen faced backlash after his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, alleged he had sexually abused her as a child. The incident made headlines following the release of HBO’s 2021 docuseries Allen v. Farrow, which explores the allegations against him. The director has repeatedly denied the claims.

His most recent film was Rifkin's Festival, which had a limited release in the US and grossed just USD 2.3 million.