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NEW YORK \u2014 Woody Allen may still be persona non grata in Hollywood, but the controversial Oscar winner has secured regional funding to set his next film in Madrid.<\/p>\n
The Government of the Community of Madrid will give $1.7 million, or 1.5 million euros<\/a>, to the 89-year-old Bronx-born filmmaker toward his upcoming movie, provisionally titled \u201cWasp 2026,\u201d Spanish newspaper El Pa\u00eds reported Thursday.<\/p>\n The outlet cited a contract published Oct. 24 on the Portal of the Public Procurement of the Community of Madrid<\/a>, which stipulates \u2014 according to a translation \u2014 that the film will be penned and directed by Allen and will be \u201cfilmed entirely in the Community of Madrid \u2026 to improve the position and visibility of the Community of Madrid as a destination.\u201d<\/p>\n The document also lays out preliminary press and marketing plans for the film, intended to spotlight the Spanish capital, and stipulates that Allen must complete filming by Dec. 31, 2027.<\/p>\n Variety reports that \u201cWasp 2026\u201d is an acronym for Woody Allen Summer Project<\/a>, though the agreement states \u201cMadrid\u201d will need to be included in the actual name of the film.<\/p>\n According to the outlet, the sponsorship follows the \u201cAnnie Hall\u201d director\u2019s botched attempts to get funding in Barcelona as well as Italy, both of which have set the stage for prior films like 2008\u2019s acclaimed \u201cVicky Cristina Barcelona\u201d<\/a> and 2012\u2019s widely panned \u201cTo Rome with Love.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Allen\u2019s mainstream popularity has waned since 2017 when, at the height of the #MeToo movement, his estranged adopted daughter Dylan Farrow reiterated her claims against him of childhood sexual abuse<\/a>.<\/p>\n