(L to R) Wile E. Coyote and Will Forte in ‘Coyote vs. Acme.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Discovery.
Preview:
- Will Forte has commented on twitter about ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’s future.
- Warner Bros. opted to use it as a tax write-off rather than a release.
- The movie also stars John Cena and Lana Condor.
It was all going so well for ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’… Until it wasn’t.
The movie, a blend of live-action and animation had a fun concept, a great cast led by John Cena and Will Forte, and was on track for a prime summer 2023 release.
Until Warner Bros. got cold feet about the idea of the movie being a success (despite positive reviews from friends and family screenings), handed its date to ‘Barbie’ and then announced it was pulling a ‘Batgirl’ again, putting the movie on a shelf and taking a tax write-off instead of spending the money to market and release it.
A cavalcade of complaints from filmmakers who have seen the finished film led to a brief process of inviting bids from other companies, but now according to Forte, who hit twitter to share his feelings on the matter, it’s likely to never see the light of day.
Related Article: Warner Bros. has Opted to Shelve Completed John Cena Live-Action/CG Movie ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’
What’s the story of ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’?
Wile E. Coyote in ‘Coyote vs. Acme.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Discovery.
‘Coyote Vs. Acme’ follows Wile E. Coyote, 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.
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.
Dave Green directed the movie, from a script by Samy Burch, itself derived from a story crafted by Jeremy Slater and James Gunn (yes, the current chief of DC Studios at Warner Bros.) The original idea came from a 1990 New Yorker humor piece written by Ian Frazier.
Aside from Cena, the cast includes Lana Condor, P.J. Byrne and Eric Bauza (who voices Wile E. Coyote).
Will Forte on ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’
Here’s Forte’s statement in full via his twitter post:
He finishes with this line:
“You would be so proud of it — a movie that should be seen but won’t. Please know that all the years and years of hard work, dedication and love that you put into this movie shows in every frame.”
It’s telling that the movie was greenlit by a previous Warner Bros. administration, and that the current one is on a huge cost-cutting run, slashing talent and producer deals and looking to stick to big potential successes such as ‘Dune: Part Two’.
The attitude has not won it many fans among filmmakers in particular, who have reacted much like Forte. But as the studio pushes ahead making deals with stars such as Tom Cruise, it may not worry too much about that.
Will Forte in ‘MacGruber.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.