The Middle East distributor of Louis CK's new film, I Love You Daddy, has dropped the film's regional release. The move comes in the wake of sexual harassment allegations that are rocking Tinseltown and some of its biggest names.
The movie was due to release in the region on January 11, but following a New York Times expose last week, in which five women accused CK of sexual 'misconduct', Dubai-based distributor Front Row Entertainment has joined the movie's US and Scandinavian distributors in permanently dropping the film from its schedule.
Front Row chief Gianluca Chakra told The National: "While we acknowledge Louis CK's talent, we at Front Row feel that releasing the film in the Middle East would mean condoning this type of behaviour and ignoring the damage it has caused, and continues to cause, to the victims. This is the kind of message we need to send to the whole system that needs to examine its core ethical and professional values."
In I Love You, Daddy CK plays a writer-producer who tries to stop his 17-year-old daughter (Chloe Grace Moretz) from having an affair with a 68-year-old director played by John Malkovich. If the plot line wasn't already close to the bone in light of recent events, we understand from sources who have seen the movie that certain scenes seem to lampoon the very behaviour of which CK is accused, including one specific scene which almost directly mirrors the hotel incident reported in the New York Times story, in this case for laughs.
Front Row hasn't had the best run of luck with scandal-hit stars in recent weeks. On November 2 it released the JD Salinger biopic Rebel in the Rye, starring Kevin Spacey, just as the accusations surrounding the House of Cards star began to surface. Evidently they don't plan on letting lightning strike twice.
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Read more:
[ A run-down of Kevin Spacey's week-long demise ]
[ Action star Steven Seagal and comedian Louis CK accused of sexual harassment ]
[ Ridley Scott dramatically cuts Kevin Spacey from completed movie ]
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