| Coyote vs. Acme | |
|---|---|
 Teaser poster | |
| Directed by | Dave Green |
| Screenplay by | Samy Burch |
| Story by |
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| Based on | "Coyote v. Acme" byIan Frazier[1][2] |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Brandon Trost |
| Edited by | Carsten Kurpanek[3] |
| Music by | Steven Price[3] |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Ketchup Entertainment |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70–72 million[5][6] |
Coyote vs. Acme is an upcoming Americanlive-action animatedlegalcomedy film produced byWarner Bros. Pictures,Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, and Two Monkeys, A Goat and Another, Dead, Monkey, and distributed byKetchup Entertainment. The film is directed byDave Green with a screenplay bySamy Burch from a story by Burch,James Gunn, andJeremy Slater.[1] The plot, based on the 1990The New Yorker magazine article "Coyote v. Acme" byIan Frazier (itself using elements fromLooney Tunes andMerrie Melodies), followsWile E. Coyote as he sues theAcme Corporation for repeatedly selling him alleged faulty products. The film's cast includesJohn Cena,Will Forte,Lana Condor,P. J. Byrne,Tone Bell,Martha Kelly, and the voice ofEric Bauza.
Development began in August 2018 withChris McKay as producer and Jon and Josh Silberman writing the screenplay. Green was hired to direct in December 2019, and Burch, Slater, and Gunn joined the following year. Cena, Forte and Condor were cast in early 2022. Live-action filming took place in New Mexico from March to May 2022.
Warner Bros. Discovery initially shelvedCoyote vs. Acme in November 2023 to obtain a taxwrite-off, but later reversed its decision and allowed the filmmakers to seek other distributors following public backlash. After several unsuccessful negotiations with various distributors, Ketchup acquired the rights in March 2025 after previously doing so withWarner Bros. Animation'sThe Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. The film is scheduled to be released on August 28, 2026.
After every product made by theAcme Corporation has backfired onWile E. Coyote in his pursuit of theRoad Runner, down-and-out human billboard attorney Kevin Avery represents Coyote in a lawsuit against Acme. A growing friendship between Coyote and Kevin motivates their determination to win the court case, as it pits them against Buddy Crane, the intimidating boss of Kevin's former law firm, who now represents Acme.[7][8]
LongtimeLooney Tunes voice actorEric Bauza voices severalLooney Tunes andMerrie Melodies characters in the film.[13] DirectorDave Green confirmed that manyLooney Tunes characters, includingTweety, will appear "in significant supporting roles and in bit cameos" throughout the film.[14]
In August 2018,Warner Bros. Pictures announced the development of aWile E. Coyote project, titledCoyote vs. Acme, withThe Lego Batman Movie (2017) directorChris McKay as producer and Jon and Josh Silberman writing the script.[15] In mid-December 2019,Warner Animation Group hiredDave Green to direct the live-action/animated hybrid film,[16] while Jon and Josh Silberman were replaced as screenwriters, but remained producers.[17] In December 2020, McKay left the project, while Jon and Josh Silberman left their producing roles and returned to screenwriting duties alongsideSamy Burch,Jeremy Slater, andJames Gunn.[4] Along with the departure of McKay, it was reported that the film draws inspiration from the fictional 1990New Yorker article of the same name byIan Frazier.[4] In March 2023, the film's final writing credits were given: Burch received sole credit for the screenplay and shared credit for the story with Slater and Gunn, while off-screen additional literary credit was given to Alex Cuthbertson, Jacob Fleisher, Matt Fusfeld,Dan Goor, BenDavid Grabinski,Craig Wright, and Jon and Josh Silberman.[1] Gunn, alongsideTom & Jerry (2021) producerChris DeFaria, also received final credit as producers on the film, with Gunn under his production banner Two Monkeys, A Goat and Another, Dead, Monkey.[4]
Years before the film's announcement around 2015, Gunnpitched the film's concept to Warner Bros. and brought Slater to write the film's first draft due to their friendship, which he enjoyed to do due to growing up with theLooney Tunes cartoons; obeying some limitations in regards to what he could include due to other projects from the franchise that were concurrently in development even though they weren't in the conceptual phase yet, with the inclusions ofBugs Bunny andDaffy Duck being off-limits for example, Slater's script had theTasmanian Devil as an antagonist for a scene where everyone has to run away from him in his deranged form and included a sequence with a "little bit of cartoon-stuff" of the Coyote classically chasing the Road Runner, the latter being his only contribution that remained in the finished film. He and Gunn discussed the project and decided to make a movie for fans of the characters with expected comedy and visual-sight gags, but with some heart so the audience would care about the title character instead of making him the "butt of the jokes" due to his reputation as a loveable loser, unlike pastLooney Tunes movies where everything is "a live-action cartoon" where everything is treated as a gag, with both opting to make the Coyote's story feel like that of a man getting a dog for the first time due to both loving their dogs and the bonds they unexpectedly formed with them, hence why they opted to never have the Coyote speak to someone or break thefourth wall so the audience could feel their pets through him. When Slater handed in his draft, Warner decided it wasn't what they were looking for at that time, so Slater moved on until he was contacted eight years later and told the project had been greenlit after going through dozens of writers with the final draft not having a lot of his original draft's content but capturing his own's spirit, emotion and central relationships, praising Burch for his job.[18]
In November 2022,Foghorn Leghorn,Granny,Sylvester the Cat andTweety were confirmed to be in the film.[19][20] In December 2022,Bugs Bunny,Daffy Duck,Elmer Fudd andYosemite Sam were also confirmed to be in the film.[21][22] In January 2023,Porky Pig was also confirmed to be in the film.[23]Editor Carsten Kurpanek described the film's story as a "David vsGoliath story" that tackles Wile E. Coyote's persistence in the face of the ACME Corporation's "cynical and casual cruelness ofcapitalism andcorporate greed".[24]
In February 2022,John Cena was cast as the film's main antagonist, described as the lawyer in defense of Acme and the former boss to Wile E.'s lawyer; he previously collaborated with Gunn on theDC Extended Universe (DCEU) projectsThe Suicide Squad (2021) andPeacemaker (2022–25).[25] The following month,Will Forte andLana Condor were added to the cast, with Forte starring as Wile E.'s lawyer.[10]
Principal photography took place from March to May 2022 inAlbuquerque, New Mexico, withBrandon Trost serving as cinematographer.[26][27] The creative team acknowledgedWho Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) as a reference for the film's live-action interaction with animated characters.[28] New Mexico Film Office director Amber Dodson commented in a press release that the production would "showcase our beautiful city as an already iconic location and setting in the Looney [Tunes] cartoons".[29]
Visual effects andcomputer animation were provided byDNEG for Wile E. Coyote and other significantLooney Tunes characters.[31][32] According to Green, the 3D animators worked closely with a team of 2D artists, who guided them with drawn poses and expressions of the characters in order to "[find] the building blocks of performance".[33] Editor Carsten Kurpanek explained that "artists would do [black-and-white] line drawings of key poses over a rough edit first", which were later used as reference for visual effects and animation; this process was dubbed "sketchviz" by the crew, bearing similarities to one of Warner Animation Group's previous filmTom & Jerry.[33][34]Traditional animation services were also provided by Duncan Studio, for "a handful of shots" with the significantLooney Tunes characters in the film and for "certain [Looney Tunes] characters [who] were handled entirely in 2D".[33][35]
Following the announcement of the film's initial cancellation,Steven Price announced that he composed the film's score, and shared a choir rendition of theRoad Runner's vocal effects titled the "Meep Meep Choir".[36]
Coyote vs. Acme is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 28, 2026.[12] It was initially planned to be theatrically released in the United States on July 21, 2023, byWarner Bros. Pictures.[4] On April 26, 2022, the studio removed the film from its release schedule, replacing it withBarbie.[37] On March 31, 2025, it was announced that the film is set to be released in 2026, following the film's acquisition byKetchup Entertainment.[38] In July 2025, it was given its specific release date atSan Diego Comic-Con.[39]
On November 9, 2023,Warner Bros. officials announced that the film was completed, but that they would not release it, becauseWarner Bros. Discovery preferred to claim atax loss of about $30 million.[5] This would make it the third cancelled film by Warner Bros. Discovery followingBatgirl andScoob! Holiday Haunt. The crew was not informed of the decision until after the film was completed.[3] The move drew criticism from filmmakers, animation outlets, and talent representatives. Several filmmakers left angry phone calls with Warner Bros. expressing their frustration at the move.[40] Others also canceled meetings with the studio.[6] Many noted that the film had drawn praise at test screenings and interest from potential buyers.[41][42] DirectorDave Green voiced his disappointment over the film's cancellation, further emphasizing his love for theLooney Tunes and writing that "We were all determined to honor the legacies of these historic characters and actually get them right."[43]
On November 13, 2023,Puck reported Warner Bros. Discovery leaders had reversed their decision and allowed the filmmakers the option to shop the film to other distributors.[44][45]Deadline Hollywood reported thatAmazon MGM Studios,Apple Studios, andNetflix were interested in buying the distribution rights to the film.[40][46]TheWrap reported that despite interest from distributors to buy the film, there are "currently no hard offers, and that Green is crafting his own 'PR campaign'".[47] On December 8,Deadline Hollywood further reported that the film had been screened for more studios includingParamount Pictures andSony Pictures. Of these, Netflix and Paramount had made bids, with the latter including a theatrical component; Amazon was still interested despite making no formal bids; and Sony and Apple were not planning to make bids.[48]
On February 9, 2024,TheWrap reported that Warner Bros. Discovery had rejected the bids from Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount.[49] The company wanted $75–$80 million to sell the film, but no distributors met their price, and Warner Bros. Discovery rejected counter bids. The company considered shelving and deleting the film (which remained in limbo at the time) and again claiming it as atax loss.[50][51][52][53][54] Following their Q4 2023 earnings call on February 23, 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery took a $115 million write-down while not directly confirming the cancellation of the film.[55]
On March 10, 2024, during the red carpet for the96th Academy Awards, Burch said conversations were still ongoing within Warner Bros. and that "we hope it will somehow find its home and not end up stuck in a vault for the rest of time".[56] In April 2024, a Warner Bros. spokesperson toldThe New York Times that while the fate of the film is unclear, it "remains available for acquisition".[57]
As with the initial cancellation,TheWrap's report on the film's possible final cancellation drew online criticism. The hashtags #ReleaseCoyoteVsAcme and #SaveCoyoteVsAcme, along with other hashtags relating to it, started trending on February 9, 2024 (the date of the article's release), and continued to trend for the following weeks.[49] Eric Bauza addressed this in an improvised exchange betweenBugs Bunny andDaffy Duck during his speech at the51st Annie Awards, with him saying "I hate to be political, but releaseCoyote vs. Acme!" in Daffy's voice.[58][59]
Industry figures who sawCoyote vs. Acme includedPhil Lord and Christopher Miller,Michael Chaves, andDaniel Scheinert.[50] Lord called the film "wonderful" and "moving", and lamented that Warner Bros.' move was "anticompetitive", while Miller said he "[hoped] several studios go after it so the world can see all the good work people did."[50][60] Writer-director BenDavid Grabinski claimed it was "the best of its kind sinceWho Framed Roger Rabbit", while filmmakerBrian Duffield, who gave notes on the film, compared it to the studio's ownBarbie film, feeling that both "[play] with iconography in a really fun, popcorn kind of way."[6] In an interview withScreen Rant on May 31, 2024,Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, directors of the cancelledBatgirl film, revealed that they are both friends with Green and said, "I think that movies must be seen by the audience, and the audience must judge them."[61]
In February 2024, Forte released a public statement addressed to the cast and crew after seeing the final cut of the film: "I know that a lot of you haven't gotten a chance to see our movie. And sadly, it's looking like you never will. When I first heard that our movie was getting 'deleted,' I hadn't seen it yet. So I was thinking what everyone else must have been thinking: this thing must be a hunk of junk. But then I saw it. And it's incredible […] Please know that all the years and years of hard work, dedication and love that you put into this movie shows in every frame. That's all folks."[62]
In January 2025, Condor revealed the film had a "funeral screening" when news of the initial cancellation was first broken.[63] In February, when asked if the film still had a chance to be released, Bauza responded, "That is the question of the year, and it's only February! I'm going to say yes. If this movie,The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie—opening March 14th, in theaters everywhere—gets a lot of money, then we might seeCoyote vs. Acme. Stranger things have happened! And if we don't, I am going to put that movie under everyone's seat as a DVD. No, I'm just kidding. I was kidding,David Zaslav. You didn't see that here!"[64]
On March 19, 2025,Deadline reported that Ketchup Entertainment was in talks to acquire all rights to the film from Warner Bros. for approximately $50 million, following its acquisition of the North American distribution rights toThe Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. If negotiations proved to be successful, the film would be scheduled for a theatrical release in 2026.[65] On March 31,Deadline and Ketchup Entertainment confirmed that the sale had been closed, with a statement from Ketchup's CEO reading, "We're thrilled to have made a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring this film to audiences worldwide. [The film] is a perfect blend ofnostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the belovedLooney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation. We believe it will resonate with both longtime fans and newcomers alike."[38]
On May 8,Deadline reported that the film was set for international sales at theCannes Film Market through Kinology, with footage available for buyers and a potential market screening.[66]
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