Coyote vs. Acme star Eric Bauza has revealed the first image from the controversially shelved movie. The photo shows the animated Wile E. Coyote, whom Bauza voices in the film. Next to him is Will Forte, who plays Wile E. Coyote’s lawyer in his case against the Acme Corporation. Lana Condor’s character sits behind them in the courtroom setting. Warner Bros. Pictures shelved the film to obtain a tax write-down, a tactic the company had previously used on the and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. However, public backlash against the move, including attention from a United States congressman, pressured Warner Bros. Discovery into shopping the film around to other distributors.
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Bauza seems confident that Coyote vs. Acme will find a new home in the coming year, perhaps with Paramount or Netflix. “See ya in 2024!!” Bauza tweeted with the image, followed by a string of cartoonish emoji. You can see the image below.
What is Coyote vs. Acme?
Coyote vs. Acme is an action-comedy film that blends live-action and animation in a style similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Dave Green directed the film from a screenplay by Samy Burch, based on a story by Burch, James Gunn, and Jeremy Slater, inspired by the 1990 The New Yorker article of the same name by Ian Frazier, itself inspired by the Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner shorts that ran as part of Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation produced the film, starring Forte, Condor, and John Cena, with Bauza voicing Coyote. The plot sees Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation over the many defective gadgets they’ve sold him.
The development of Coyote vs. Acme dates back to 2018, with the current creative team signing on in 2019. Forte, Condor, and Cena joined the cast in 2022, and production began in New Mexico that same year.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced it would shelve Coyote vs. Acme in November 2023. Less than a month later, reports surfaced that the studio would screen the movie for other distributors.
“For three years, I was lucky enough to make a movie about Wile E. Coyote, the most persistent, passionate, and resilient character of all time,” Green shared on social media after news broke about the film’s release plans being scrapped. “I was surrounded by a brilliant team, who poured their souls into this project for years. We were all determined to honor the legacies of these historic characters and actually get them right. Along the ride, we were embraced by test audiences who rewarded us with fantastic scores. I am beyond proud of the final product, and beyond devastated by WB’s decision. But in the spirit of Wile E. Coyote, resilience and persistence win the day.”
