These pretzels are making me thirsty... Larry David to Star in new Woody Allen Movie

How much neurosis is it humanly possible to cram into a 90 minutes movie, in spring of 2009 we will find out!

In a classic Seinfeld episode, Kramer get's the "These pretzels are making me thirsty"-line as a talking role in a Woody Allen movie. He eventually gets fired from the movie because upon saying the line, he slamms down a cup, a piece of glass breaks off and ends up in Woody Allen's eye, which leads Kramer to start crying... and the Woody Allen connection continues with these latest news.

Larry David who is currently set to start filming together with Woody Allen on site in New York in spring. Besides the pretzael connection, Larry is no beginner to Woody Allen movies, he portrayed the "Communist Neighbour" and the Theater Manager in Radio Days and New York Stories respectively, but this is his first time as a leading man. The film is as of yet untitled but will star David together with Evan Rachel Wood.

A nice return to the formulatic Woody I prefer: New York setting, older jewish neurotic gentleman in the lead starring opposite a leading lady half his age, how can it be anything else but fantastic?

It's great to see Woody returning to his native New York, since 2005 he's been working exclusively in Europe. His latest flicks Matchpoint, Scoop and Cassandra’s Dream are all shot in London and the upcoming Vicky Cristina Barcelona is shot in - yeah, in Barcelona. The problem I have with the last couple of Woody movies is that they just didn't feel like 'his' movies. It's not that I don't enjoy the 'dark side' of Woody like in 'Matchpoint'. 'Interiors' was a fantastic movie, and as dark as they come, same with 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' and even 'September' who both had kind of the same premise as Matchpoint with people facing up to big moral dilemmas. The 'new dark Woody' perhaps also has something to do with not having any contact with his only biological child (with Mia Farrow) for the last ten years or so, a reacurring theme both in 'Melina and Melinda', 'Hollywood Ending' and 'Deconstructing Harry'..

It's all fine and dandy that Woody seem to have gotten his creative confidence back with Matchpoint who was a huge hit (by Woodys standards) at the box office, but it's kinda weird that it's hailed as his official return to seriousness, 'Melinda and Melinda' from the year before was also very dark, had a good premise somewhat remenissant of 'Crimes and Misdemeanors', great acting with even Will Ferell doing a good Allenistic neurotic.

Anyway, after a couple of bad years with 'Small Time Crooks' (Horrible except for the ever excellent Jon Lovitz), Hollywood Ending and 'The Curse of the Jade Scorpion' Woody is back on track, and the only thing missing was the New York setting plus some better (read older) casting, and voila- here we have it.

I have a somewhat flawed theory (that I don't particuarily like to elaborate) that for a Woody Allen movie to be really great, woody needs to get or already be romantically involved with the leading female star. Point in case Mia Farrow, Diane Keaton, not so with Scarlett Johanssen (I hope). Perhaps this phenomenon will rub off on nevly divorcee David (for those who have seen the last season of Curb, the season closely mirrored his personal life with a couple of weeks delay..) who is also a bit closer to the cradle than the grave than Woody and we'll se a hook-up with Evan Rachel Wood?

And is it to much to hope for that they start filming some new seasons of Curb soon, perhaps even paralelling the Woody shootings, it's not like it hasn't been done before and Larry has endeavoured off to NY for the Producers and that Mob role he filmed for Scorsese in earlier seasons of Curb... Anyway, 2009 will hopefully be a good year in Woody -and Larryland!