Well, it’s official, Coyote Vs. Acme has finally been freed from the WB prison!
After months of uncertainty and over a year on the shelf, Warner Bros. has completed its deal to sell Coyote Vs. Acme to Ketchup Entertainment. The hybrid live-action/animated feature, starring Wile E. Coyote in a courtroom battle against his longtime supplier, Acme Corp., now has a new lease on life and is expected to hit theaters in 2026.
Ketchup Entertainment CEO Gareth West confirmed the worldwide rights acquisition, sharing: “We’re thrilled to have made a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring this film to audiences worldwide.
“Coyote Vs Acme is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the beloved Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation. We believe it will resonate with both longtime fans and newcomers alike.”
The film was brought to life by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows director Dave Green, with a screenplay from May December’s Samy Burch. The film is produced by Chris deFaria and Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn and is based on Ian Frazier’s satirical New Yorker piece of the same name.
In the film, Wile E. Coyote finally gets tired of Acme’s defective gadgets blowing up in his face and sues. Will Forte plays the lawyer repping him against a powerhouse attorney (John Cena), who also happens to be his old boss.
Lana Condor and Tone Bell round out the cast, and the film is described as both heartfelt and hilarious by those insiders who caught screenings of it. The test screenings for the movie scored surprisingly well.
Still, none of the positive reactions stopped WB from shelving it in 2023. The studio had originally floated it with a $70M price tag, which is what it reportedly cost to make, but at the time, no one bit.
Instead, the move sparked major backlash. Director Phil Lord publicly voiced his frustration, and Forte didn’t hold back either, calling WB’s shelving: “F*cking bullsht.”
Many speculated the film was headed toward tax write-off purgatory, a fate shared by several other WB projects caught in the studio’s cost-cutting spree. But with the Ketchup deal, which is estimated around $50 million, the film’s getting a second shot, and the company just pulled off its biggest acquisition yet.
Ketchup’s been in the WB salvage business before. Just last year, they picked up The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie from the same studio. Their growing slate includes titles like Hellboy: The Crooked Man, Hypnotic, Memory, and Goodrich.
It’s not every day Wile E. Coyote comes out on top, so it’s great to see him get a win!
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