Coyote Vs. Acme Looks Like It’s Dead Again Thanks To Warner Bros.

By April Ryder | Published

Warner Bros. is determined to drop an anvil on Wile E. Coyote’s head once and for all with the final cancelation and deletion of Coyote Vs. Acme. The production company would rather have the money they get from claiming a tax loss than to release the film. 

The Coyote Sues Acme

Coyote Vs. Acme stars Will Forte as Wile E. Coyote’s lawyer and John Cena as the big-shot lawyer from Acme. The film’s storyline centers around Wile E. Coyote’s lawsuit against Acme. Coyote sues the company because all of their devices have always failed him in his pursuit of the Roadrunner. 

Live-Action Animation Hybrid

The movie is a mixture of live-action and animation footage. Directed by Dave Green and written by Samy Burch, Coyote Vs. Acme began filming in mid-2022 and has since been completed. After several test showings of the film, there have been nothing but positive reviews coming from those who have seen the movie. 

Warner Bros Choose Tax Breaks Over Looney Tunes

Yet Warner Bros. still insists on making Coyote Vs. Acme disappear. The studio didn’t even inform the cast and crew of the movie’s cancellation until after filming had wrapped and everyone was sent home. What’s worse is that this isn’t the first time Warner Bros. has treated a finished film like a disposable diaper. 

The Batgirl Precedent

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Batgirl, starring Leslie Grace as Batgirl, Brenden Fraiser as Firefly, and Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne, was canned just as easily. The studio said the film was simply unreleasable. The studio set a precedent to can Coyote Vs. Acme, with the deletion of Batgirl, effectively makes the statement that ditching a finished movie (in hopes of a tax write-off) is a perfectly acceptable way to handle an issue. 

A Brief Moment Of Hope For Fans

The cancellation process started last November when the studio first announced that Coyote Vs. Acme would be canceled. After a “firestorm of outrage and indignation” arose surrounding the decision, Warner Bros. decided to allow the filmmakers to shop the movie around to a few possible buyers.

Multiple Streamers Were Interested

It seemed like Coyote Vs. Acme was back on. However, Warner Bros. made an offer to sell the movie for $75-80 million, and the offer was firm. The studio set up screenings for interested buyers, and Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount all showed interest. 

Warner Bros Turned Down All Offers

Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount all submitted offers on Coyote Vs. Acme, but all of the offers were denied. Paramount even offered a theatrical release as part of the deal instead of taking the flick straight to streaming, but Warner Bros. didn’t seem to care. 

Now, months after the studio’s proposed sale of Coyote Vs. Acme, Warner Bros. has officially had enough. The company has now made a final decision to delete the film entirely and claim it as a tax loss. 

Never To See The Light Of Day

Without an offer that either matches or beats the set $75-80 million price tag in the next few days, it seems Coyote Vs. Acme is a wrap. Maybe one day, some cryptic copy of the movie will be released for Wile E. Coyote fans to enjoy, but for now, it looks like we’ll never get to see what might come of a Coyote versus Acme court case.