Louis C.K. has directed a new film called I Love You, Daddy, which will make its debut next month at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film was shot in black and white and on 35mm film, and -- much like Horace and Pete -- was produced completely in secret.
The actor and stand-up has emerged in the last decade or so as one of the most important and vital voices in comedy. This has come mostly as a result of a series of well-received stand-up comedy specials -- on HBO, through his own website, and most recently on Netflix -- as well as his live stand-up tours. C.K. has also been lauded for his much-acclaimed multi-season, uniquely structured FX series Louie, and his later, self-distributed, single-season Horace and Pete.
C.K. is less known for his movie work, but he did direct the 2001 cult comedy hit Pootie Tang, and for a while was appearing frequently as a supporting actor in such films as Blue Jasmine, American Hustle, and Trumbo, as well as his lead voice role in last year’s animated hit The Secret Life of Pets. Now there’s word that we’re about to get another C.K.-directed film.
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According to a report in Indiewire, I Love You, Daddy stars C.K. as a TV producer and writer named Glen Topher, and centers on his relationship with his daughter (played by Chloe Grace Moretz). The film also stars John Malkovich, Rose Byrne, Helen Hunt, and Pamela Aldon.
While C.K. has not directed a feature film since 2001, he has overseen the filmmaking on five seasons of Louie, and often shown what looks like a keen interest in a particularly arty brand of film grammar, especially frequent homages to his Blue Jasmine director, Woody Allen; Louie also regularly features segments that resemble short films. C.K. also directed a 1998 feature film called Tomorrow Night that was never released until the comedian put it out on his website a few years ago.
The question remains whether a 35mm, self-produced, black and white film be an easy sell to fans of Louis C.K.’s stand up comedy specials. But this heretofore unannounced film just became one of the more intriguing projects of this fall. And Louie remains on indefinite, possibly permanent hiatus.
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I Love You, Daddy, will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. It does not yet have a distribution deal or a release date.