When allegations emerged last month against Louis C.K. — which he confirmed as true — reaction from Hollywood was swift. Indie distributor The Orchard scrapped the release of his film “I Love You, Daddy,” HBO dropped all of his programming from their platforms, and FX put projects associated with writer/director/actor/producer/comedian under review. Well, Louis C.K. is taking a break from his plan to “step back and take a long time to listen” to make some business moves.
Deadline reports that Louis C.K. is currently in the process of buying back the rights to “I Love You, Daddy.” The deal will see him pay back The Orchard the $5 million they shelled out for the movie at TIFF, plus any marketing costs they incurred, along with the money they spent on 12,000 or so awards season screeners they sent out to AMPAS, SAG, Golden Globes and Critics’ voting members (oops).
What this means for the fate of the movie is unclear, but it will be in Louis C.K.’s hands to decide if he releases it or not. He has a long history of releasing stand-up material and programming such as “Horace and Pete” on his website, so that could be one route he takes.
That said, “I Love You, Daddy” features a character who masturbates in front of other people without their consent — the exact behavior Louis C.K. admitted to engaging in — so perhaps he’ll want to reflect on that. Initially, the movie drew attention for supposedly taking a shot at Woody Allen, with its story following a teenager who becomes obsessed with a much older filmmaker. So, perhaps he might want want to sit on it.