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For once, things are working out for Wile E Coyote.
The film Coyote vs Acme, which stars John Cena and Will Forte acting alongside beloved Looney Tunes cartoon characters, will finally be released to the public, almost two years after the completed film was shelved by Warner Bros as part of a tax write-off.
Ketchup Entertainment announced on Monday that it acquired worldwide distribution rights to the live-action animated film for an undisclosed sum. Deadline reported the deal was “pegged in the $50m range and the film is expected to get a theatrical release in 2026”.
The deal gives new life to one of the three fully completed films that Warner Bros elected to take a tax write-off on, rather than release. The film is estimated to have cost $72m to produce, but shelving it allowed Warner Bros to take an estimated $30m tax write-down.
At the time, Warner Bros called the decision “difficult” and thanked the cast and crew for their work. But the tactic, which followed a change in leadership at Warner Bros after the outbreak of Covid-19, also resulted in an almost completed $90m Batgirl film and an animated Scooby Doo film being shelved, decisions that were widely disparaged by creatives and fans alike.
The film’s star, Forte, called the decision “fucking bullshit”, saying in an interview in February: “It is such a delightful movie. It deserves so much better … it makes my blood boil and thank you for asking me about it because I like talking about the movie.”
Oscar-winning film-makers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller saw a screening and described the film as “funny, charming, good physical comedy timing, with a surprising amount of heart”. “I hope several studios go after it so the world can see all the good work people did,” Miller tweeted.
Writer-director Brian Duffield also tweeted at the time: “I have seen this movie and it is excellent. It also tested in the high 90s repeatedly. It also had interested buyers. The people working at Warner Bros are anti-art and I hope multiple anvils drop on their heads.”
Directed by Dave Green and based on a 1990 New Yorker article by Ian Frazier, Coyote vs Acme follows Wile E Coyote in a lawsuit against Acme Corporation for the many faulty products that failed to catch him the Road Runner. Forte plays Wile E Coyote’s “billboard lawyer” Kevin Avery, who must face off in court against Acme’s intimidating lawyer, played by Cena, who also happens to be his former boss.
The film was reportedly test-screened to positive responses before Warner Bros shelved it, with Deadline reporting at the time that it had scored 14 points above the norm for a family movie.
Gareth West, chief executive of Ketchup Entertainment, said the company was “thrilled” by the new deal, calling Coyote vs Acme “a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the beloved Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation”.
Ketchup, a distribution company launched in 2012, also recently released another Looney Tunes film jettisoned by Warner Bros – The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. In three weeks of release, it has grossed US$8.2m in domestic ticket sales.
