Woody Allen's Next Film Heads to Madrid With Public Funding and a Title Mandate
Woody Allen's next film, provisionally titled "WASP 2026," is scheduled to begin shooting in Madrid on October 5, 2026, backed by roughly €3 million ($3.5 million, or $2.9 million after VAT deductions) in public money from Spain's Madrid Regional Government and Madrid City Council (Variety).
The funding comes with strings attached. Under the terms of the agreement with the Madrid Regional Government, the finished film must include the word "Madrid" in its title. The City Council, for its part, required that at least 15% of scenes be shot on exteriors that make the city easily recognisable (Variety). The regional government's grant was announced in October 2025; the City Council's backing followed in December (Variety).
The Madrid public funding is double the €1.5 million that Catalonia's regional government contributed to Allen's previous film, according to Variety. The Madrid regional government has framed its investment as a play for film tourism, as The Guardian reported in October 2025.
Beyond the Madrid grants, the production aims to raise a further €4 million in Spain. That figure breaks down into $2.3 million in tax credits, a $1.1 million grant from Spanish film agency ICAA, and a $1.1 million first-window TV prebuy — meaning a broadcaster pays for the right to air the film on television before any other platform gets it (Variety). Full financing is contingent on the film premiering at an international film festival (Variety).
Three companies are producing: Spanish outfit Wanda Vision, Allen's New York-based Gravier Productions, and Puerto Rico-headquartered 3SIX9 Studios. Pre-production and principal photography will take place in Madrid, while post-production will be split between Madrid and New York (Variety).
The Madrid City Council estimates that 79% of the film's total $11.4 million investment will be spent in Madrid, generating 1,196 direct jobs and 2,293 indirect jobs (Variety). The initial €1.5 million regional government component was first reported by the Spanish daily El País, as noted by Deadline.
What makes this stand out is how directly the public bodies have shaped the creative and commercial terms. A government mandating a single word in a film's title, or stipulating how many scenes must show identifiable streets, is unusual for a director of Allen's standing — closer to a city branding contract than a standard production incentive. The festival premiere requirement adds another condition: until a major festival selects the film, the financing is not fully locked.
