(courtesy IMP Awards)
SNAPSHOT
After every last product made by the Acme Corporation has backfired on Wile E. Coyote in his pursuit of the Road Runner, down-and-out human billboard attorney Kevin Avery (starring Will Forte) is hired to represent Coyote in a lawsuit against Acme. A growing friendship between Coyote and Kevin motivates their determination to win the court case, which also pits them against Buddy Crane (John Cena), the intimidating boss of Kevin’s former law firm, who now represents Acme. Coyote vs. Acme is directed by genre filmmaker Dave Green, director of the films Earth to Echo and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows previously. The screenplay is written by Samy Burch; from a screen story by James Gunn & Jeremy Slater and Samy Burch. Based on the “Coyote v. Acme” magazine article by Ian Frazier. Produced by James Gunn and Chris DeFaria. Made by Warner Bros Animation. (courtesy First Showing)
If ever there was a post child for the almighty clash between artistic pursuits and commercial interests, it’s Coyote vs Acme.
Work began on the live action-animation hybrid back in 2018 with Chris McKay as producer and a screenplay penned by Jon and Josh Silberman and everything proceeded smoothly in the years following with Will Forte, Lana Condor and John Cena cast in 2022, with live filming in New Mexico following a few months later.
It looked like being a dream Looney Tunes project, based on 1990 The New Yorker magazine article “Coyote v. Acme” by Ian Frazier, UNTIL … well, we’ll let Wikipedia do the talking …
Warner Bros. Discovery initially shelved Coyote vs. Acme in November 2023 to obtain a tax write-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 Entertainment acquired the rights in March 2025 after previously doing so with Warner Bros. Animation’s The Day the Earth Blew Up.
It was a shocking train of events, especially for a company who have the privilege of shepherding the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons into the digital age, but it reminded everyone that artistic wonders we love can so easily fall prey to decisions made solely on the bottom line.
So, now the race is on to make this film go HUGE when it releases this year to prove the point that none of the actions above should ever have taken place and on the basis of this trailer, and the fervent online support for the film, it looks like being a BIG bright spot on 2026’s cinematic calendar.
Coyote vs. Acme (finally) releases 28 August in USA and 17 September in Australia.