Louis CK has become one of America's most revered comedians, an Emmy-nominated TV star/show creator and now, with his $5 downloadable standup special, an innovator in internet entertainment. The one blank spot left on his resume, however, is filmmaker.
The Emmy-winner has written and directed two films: 1998's "Tomorrow Night" and 2000's "Pootie Tang," the latter of which didn't quite meet his normal critically acclaimed levels. He's remarked in the past about how the film studio took away his control on that film, and he hasn't gone back to the motion picture industry since. That doesn't mean that he's not interested, however.
During a long, wide-ranging chat with users on Reddit, CK discussed his ambitions for returning to film, and the very interesting way he'd make his way back.
"I thought about what if I make another special like this one and i put it up for 5 bucks again and it goes gangbusters. It makes, say, 8 million bucks. I don't know that that is even possible. I'm trying to find out what the potential is with this one," he said. "But so if I make 8 million, which all goes through Paypal right into Pig Newton, my company that makes my show and made the special. Well I would leave the money in there and make a f*cking movie."
Upon the conclusion of his explanation, the comedian then decided that he'd actually have to make a second big standup special before funding a film.
"This special, if it [sic] explosed, cause really it's only been up for 2 days, more like a pre-sale. If it really tears an as*hole into the money monster who then sh*ts dollars into my mouth (oh my god what's wrong with me) then I will use that money to buy a home and get some security which i NEVER have had in my life and have certainly not gotten from my low budget show," he continued.
"So it would have to be special number 2 that would keep the money in the company and make a movie. I have always put cash back into the work. The profit I made on last years season of 'Louie' went to buying a new RED EPIC camera which now sits here next to me and a modest but impressive collection of lenses from Germany and England, which now belong to Pig Newton and will be used to shoot said 8 million dollar movie. "
CK also discussed the acclaimed Afghanistan episode rom the past season, in which he was portrayed as flying to the Middle Eastern country to give a standup performance. A substantial part of the episode dealt with the topic of a duckling -- which he says was not only inspired by his daughter, but made the first dent in her own career, giving her an IMDB credit.
Finally, there was a discussion of which celebrity he would kill if he had the chance. The inquirer probably regretted asking.
"If I could legally kill a celebrity it would be your mother," he said. "First I would invest a lot of time and money getting her a marketable entertainment skill and promoting her till she's famous, then I would hit her in the face with a pan that kills people when you hit them with it. Sorry. You asked. It just happened to be the truth."
To read the whole thing, click over to Reddit.