Louis C.K.’s ‘I Love You Daddy’ Dropped By Overseas Distributors

UPDATE, WRITETHRU with additional detail: In the wake of The Orchard scrapping the domestic release of Louis C.K.’s I Love You, Daddy amid the sexual misconduct scandal that surrounds the comedian, overseas distributors are following suit. The Orchard has confirmed to Deadline that all of its international distribution partners are canceling their releases.

France’s ARP Séléction, which acquired the movie just ahead of the AFM, tells Deadline that it is not going forward with a December 27 release. The company’s Michèle Halberstadt says she hopes to one day be able to get the movie out, but that for the moment “it’s not the same film for the viewer.” She’s keen to insist the move is not based on a moral judgement about the C.K. situation, but “with what’s happening, it’s not possible to release it… I bought a film and if people see it (in the context of) today, they won’t see what we bought.”

Also kiboshing the release is leading Middle East distributor Front Row Entertainment. Chief Gianluca Chakra provided Deadline with the following statement:

“As much as we acknowledge Louis C.K.’s creative and performing talent… releasing the film in the Middle East and North Africa would mean condoning this type of behavior and forgetting the damage it has caused and still causes to the victims regardless of gender. Therefore, we at Front Row have decided not to release the film. This is the type of message we need to send to the whole system, which needs to reexamine its core ethical and professional values.”

Originally the movie, which C.K. wrote, directed, produced and stars in, was set to open on November 17 domestically in limited release with offshore distribs following. Other overseas releases to have been scrubbed are in Scandinavia and Israel.

This comes after a November 9 New York Times exposé which included multiple allegations that C.K. masturbated in front of women, often colleagues from the comedy world. The following day, he issued a statement saying the accusers’ stories were true.

I Love You, Daddy follows a TV writer (C.K.) whose teenage daughter (Chloe Grace Moretz) becomes the obsession of a much older filmmaker (John Malkovich). It includes a character who pretends to masturbate at length in front of other people, while other characters appear to dismiss rumors of sexual predation.