Fourteen years after Pootie Tang, Louis C.K. is back in the director’s chair. As reported by THR, the comic will write, direct, and star in I’m a Cop, a film about a depressed, middle-aged man living under the shadow of his ex-cop mother, whose death and legacy force him to become a police officer. Scott Rudin will produce the movie, which looks to be C.K.’s shot at cinematic redemption: The not-so-good Pootie Tang was the last film he directed, and he’s been forthright about not being prepared for the task at the time. The rest of his work behind the camera, whether in Louie or the zany Tomorrow Night, betrays a sharp, off-kilter sensibility that will hopefully find its way on screen this time around.
It’s also worth noting that police have been, if not a theme, a recurring motif in C.K.’s work. He played a lovelorn cop in Parks and Recreation, donned a uniform in the hilarious Louie episode “Heckler/Cop Movie,” and in this season of Louie said a lot about police brutality despite the episode in question, “Cop Story,” not actually having anything to do with police brutality. I’m a Cop seems like a pretty straighforward comedy, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see it plumb some darker depths as well.
