After Warner Bros. Discovery shelved Coyote vs. Acme in 2023, the film is finally set for theatrical release by Ketchup Entertainment, after the studio giant sold the worldwide distribution rights to the company for approximately $50 million. The live-action/CG animated hybrid movie sees John Cena and Will Forte share a screen with Looney Tunes’ Wile E. Coyote — who sues the Acme Corporation for defective products. It is directed by Dave Green, from a screenplay written by James Gunn, Samy Burch, and Jeremy Slater; and is produced by Chris deFaria and DC Studios co-boss Gunn. The movie was originally completed but was shelved by Warner Bros. in 2023 for a $30 million tax write-off.
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Despite previous rejections from Amazon, Netflix, and Paramount two years ago, Ketchup Entertainment’s bid was eventually approved. The latter completed the deal today (March 31st), and has set an unspecified date in 2026 for worldwide theatrical distribution.
In a statement via Deadline, Gareth West, CEO of Ketchup Entertainment said, “We’re thrilled to have made a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring this film to audiences worldwide. Coyote Vs Acme is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the beloved Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation. We believe it will resonate with both longtime fans and newcomers alike.”
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The upcoming comedy-adventure is based on Ian Frazier’s 1990 New Yorker humor article “Coyote v. Acme,” and follows the blighted Wile E. “who, after Acme products fail him one too many times in his dogged pursuit of the Roadrunner, decides to hire a billboard lawyer to sue the Acme Corporation,” per to the logline. “The case pits Wile E. and his lawyer (Forte) against the latter’s intimidating former boss (Cena), but a growing friendship between man and cartoon stokes their determination to win.”
Despite a successful test screening, the project became a high-profile casualty of WB cost-cutting measures in 2023 and has been on hold for more than a year. The company apparently screened the picture to a group of buyers in early 2024 for a price of roughly $70 million, which is what the film is said to have cost, to which they did not receive any proposals.
The permutations to get the project off the shelf hit some of the cast like an anvil to the head. It was only last month when Forte was asked about his thoughts on the situation during a discussion with MovieWeb.
“My thoughts were that it’s f–king bulls–t. It is such a delightful movie. It deserves so much better than it got,” he told the outlet. “I can’t tell you possibly why the decision was made to not release it. But it makes my blood boil.”
Forte continued, “Thank you for asking me about it because I like talking about the movie because I don’t want people to forget what [Warner Bros. Discovery] did to this. I appreciate them letting us make it, but don’t let us make this thing that we fall in love with and then not show it. I would understand if the thing sucked, but it’s really good. Maybe somehow we get to see it at some point. I hope people do. I was really proud of it.”
Fortunately, that wasn’t all folks! Coyote Vs. Acme is set for theatrical release in 2026.
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