WB's Scrapped COYOTE VS. ACME Movie Is Now Being Shopped to Other Distributers
Last week it was announced that Warner Bros. has scrapped its Coyote vs. Acme, which caused a good amount of outrage from the fans and the filmmakers. After the decision to shelve the film was made, WB was labeled an “anti-art studio.” The whole point of scrapping the film was to write it down for a $30 million tax credit, declaring the movie a total loss.
Now, it’s being reported that WB is going to allow the filmmakers to shop the movie around Hollywood to find a new distributor. The report comes from Puck, which says WB film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy made this decision, along with animation boss Bill Damaschke.
It’s also reported that the studio had already agreed to pay the director and some of the main stars a streaming bonus if the movie was shelved, but the report makes it sound like it wasn't a happy or good conversation.
Director Dave Green previously talked about the project, saying: "For three years, I was lucky enough to make a movie about Wile E. Coyote, the most persistent, passionate, and resilient character of all time. I was surrounded by a brilliant team, who poured their souls into this project for years. We were all determined to honor the legacies of these historic characters and actually get them right. Along the ride, we were embraced by test audiences who rewarded us with fantastic scores. I am beyond proud of the final product, and beyond devastated by WB's decision. But in the spirit of Wile E. Coyote, resilience and persistence win the day."
Warner Bros. didn’t believe that the project had enough appeal for a wide theatrical release. Well, I hope another studio picks it up and proves WB wrong. I would love nothing more than for the film to get a theatrical release and then blow up at the box office.
Coyote vs. Acme was directed by Green, from a screenplay by Samy Burch and a story by James Gunn, Jeremy Slater and Burch. The story was partially inspired by an article from The New Yorker, which was written by Ian Frazier in 1990, and John Cena stars in the movie as the CEO of Acme.
Will Forte previously talked about how fun it was to make the movie and also shared some details on the story, saying:
"I mean, it was so fun to make this. It came out of this article that I think is decades old. Wiley Coyote is suing the Acme Corporation because of all the different contraptions that have exploded in his face, and stuff like that. And so, I get to play Wile E. Coyote's lawyer, and it's a mixture of animation, and it's like a Who Framed Roger Rabbit? style movie. And yeah, John Cena is so great in it. Lana Condor is in it. It was so much fun making it, and these guys who are making it are so smart. Because you’ve got to figure out where this animated character is going to move to. It was amazing to be a part of it. So, I'm excited to see how it turns out because, of course, I'm acting with a tennis ball a lot of times. There's a tennis ball for an eye-line, and it's moving around. So, yeah, I think, I don't know how much more I can say about it, but I've blathered on for a while.
What are your hopes for this Coyote Vs. Acme movie?