Louis C.K. Is Buying Back I Love You, Daddy

Louis C.K., the disgraced comedian who admitted to sexual misconduct toward numerous women over the ..

admin December 9, 2017 6:37 am

Louis C.K., the disgraced comedian who admitted to sexual misconduct toward numerous women over the years, is in the process of buying back the global rights for his film I Love You, Daddy. Distribution company the Orchard confirmed the deal to Deadline on Friday. C.K. wrote and directed the black-and-white comedy earlier this year, and the Orchard later acquired it at the Toronto International Film Festival for $5 million. In addition to buying back the rights, C.K. will also cover the marketing costs that have been incurred thus far, which reportedly could be in the $500,000 to $1 million range, Deadline notes.

This report comes almost exactly one month after I Love You, Daddy’s New York premiere was suddenly canceled. Though it was initially unclear what had happened, the truth became apparent once The New York Times dropped an investigative piece in which five women spoke about C.K.’s inappropriate behavior toward them over the years; he either masturbated in front of them, masturbated while on the phone with them, or requested to masturbate in front of them. C.K. responded to the claims with a lengthy statement, confirming that the “stories are true.”

“I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want,” he wrote. “I will now step back and take a long time to listen.”

His confirmation immediately caused an uproar, pushing collaborators like FX, HBO, 3Arts, and more to immediately cut ties with him. The Orchard also quickly made the decision to cancel the release of I Love You, Daddy, leaving the once-anticipated film in limbo.

Buying back the rights isn’t a particularly shocking move for C.K., as he has exercised an inordinate amount of control over his artistic output for the last few years (it’s perhaps more shocking that he went with a traditional distributor at all). The strongest example of that is his series Horace and Pete, the half-hour dramedy series that he sold to fans directly through his Web site, with little to no marketing. Though it’s unclear what C.K. plans to do with the film next (bury it for good? Release it on his Web site?), I Love You, Daddy will certainly be forever linked to this scandal. And that’s to say nothing of the controversy that was brewing over the film even before this scandal broke. Representatives for C.K. have not yet responded to Vanity Fair’s request for comment. Representatives for the Orchard tell V.F. they are not sure what C.K. plans to do with the film next.

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