Skip to main content

Louis C.K. made a movie without telling anyone, and it's almost here

Louis C.K.
Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com
Remember Pootie Tang? Yeah, so do we — even if we wish we didn’t. Released in 2001, the blaxploitation satire film represented Louis C.K.’s most recent directorial credit for a feature-length movie. In the 16 years since, the comedy legend has directed comedy specials and television episodes (mostly his own shows), but never movies.

On Tuesday, though, the Los Angeles Times reported that C.K. is debuting a new project at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), titled I Love You, Daddy. C.K. will star in the film as Glen Topher, a successful New York television producer and writer and Chloë Grace Moretz (Clouds of Sils Maria) will play his daughter, China.

The black-and-white movie was shot in secret on 35mm film and somehow did not leak a single time — a minor miracle in the 24/7 news cycle of modern Hollywood. The cast of I Love You, Daddy is littered with stars, including Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), John Malkovich (Deepwater Horizon), and Louie veteran Pamela Adlon (Californication), though we don’t yet know anything about their roles.

C.K. is no stranger to surprise rollouts. Last year, his hit web series Horace and Pete appeared on the comedian’s website without notice, quickly attracting a cult following. Louie, his popular cable series, has been on indefinite hiatus for a few years. It’s likely that his extended break from directorial work was due to clashes over creative control; the production for Pootie Tang was notoriously frustrating for C.K., who vehemently disagreed with Paramount on several points. In a 2011 interview, he said he prefers to work with “nobody controlling him (sic).”

TIFF– which opens September 7 — will play host to a number of anticipated films, with directorial debuts from Brie Larson (Unicorn Store) and Aaron Sorkin (Molly’s Game), plus John Curran’s Chappaquiddick (based upon the Ted Kennedy accident), and more.

Until recently, most film festivals ignored television content, but that’s begun to change of late, with new TV sections at TIFF, Sundance, and Tribeca. On the television front at TIFF, two episodes of HBO’s James Franco vehicle The Deuce will screen, as will four episodes of Starz’s The Girlfriend Experience.

Nick Hastings
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nick is a Portland native and a graduate of Saint Mary's College of California with a Bachelor's of Communication. Nick's…
The 10 darkest moments in the DCEU, ranked
A tiny version of Starro attached to someone's face in "The Suicide Squad."

For better or worse, the DC Extended Universe has depicted some of the darkest moments ever seen in superhero media. This franchise started out especially grim, but it seems to have shaken off this image in the post-Snyderverse era.

Nevertheless, with scenes like these, this cinematic universe has still dared to present some heavy realism in the lives of the heroes and villains who populate it.
10. Jesse's Death - Aquaman (2018)

Read more
How to watch Canelo vs. Charlo: Date, time, PPV price and undercard
Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo face off on a promotional poster.

We have an undisputed super middleweight fight this weekend! Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) is defending all four of his belts against Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) in a Premier Boxing Champions fight card. This is Canelo's third fight since his loss to Dmitrii Bivol in May of 2022. Charlo's last actual fight was that same month, so he's coming out of quite a layoff. Charlo is also an undisputed champion -- he has all four super welterweight belts -- but only Canelo's titles are on the line in this fight.

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo will start on Saturday, September 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET. It's a PPV event on Showtime, and there are some exciting undercard fights leading up to the main event. Here's everything you need to know to watch boxing online this weekend.

Read more
10 biggest sci-fi hits of all time, ranked by adjusted box-office gross
C-3PO, R2-D2, Luke, and Leia staring out at space in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back."

Thanks to Box Office Mojo, fans can see exactly how their favorite movies' box office numbers translate to the current dollar value. Since some of the most notable sci-fi movies came out decades ago, their listed gross numbers can be a bit misleading. For example, George Lucas' landmark achievement Star Wars was released in 1977. Due to inflation since then, the buying power of $1 in 1977 is equal to about $5.25 in 2023. That's a significant difference!

The biggest domestic sci-fi hits of all time when adjusted by box-office gross reveal how a few franchises have a viselike hold on the genre. Here are the top 10 sci-fi hits of all time when adjusted for inflation based on the 2022 ticket price.
10. Ghostbusters (1984): $667,872,049

Read more