Warner Bros. Discovery has shelved Coyote Vs. Acme, their animation and live-action hybrid based on their Looney Tunes characters and starring John Cena, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While it’s common for projects to stop moving forward with development, it’s unusual for them to be scrapped a year after principal photography has concluded. Surprisingly enough, priority talent from the studio was involved in the creation of the project, which now won’t be released to be public in any capacity. And if it sounds like a familiar story, it’s because it’s the third time in less than two years that the studio has implemented the strategy.
A Batgirl film starring Leslie Grace as the titular hero was also canceled by the company before it was ever completed or released on Max. The comic book adaptation had already been filmed, and just like with Coyote Vs. Acme, was removed from the release schedule during post-production. Similarly, the sequel to the 2020 animated comedy, Scoob!, was canceled well into its production schedule.
“That’s All Folks”: The Stars Speak Out
The people involved with Coyote Vs. Acme have already started speaking out against the cancelation of their film, with its human lead, John Cena, posting a cryptic “The End” logo on his Instagram profile. While it could’ve been referring to the conclusion of the strike organized by SAG-AFTRA, it could easily be connected to the status of the Looney Tunes movie.
In an interview with Collider‘s Steve Weintraub earlier this year, actor Will Forte, who was also set to star in the film, expressed his excitement for the project, saying:
“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.”
Hollywood Reacts to the Cancellation of Coyote Vs. Acme
Coyote v. Acme director Dave Green took to Twitter to express his regret at the film being pulled, but ended on an optimistic note:
“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.”
Brian Duffield, the filmmaker behind No One Will Save You, declared that he had already seen the movie, calling Warner Bros. an “anti-art” company. Peter Atencio, the director of Keanu and The Machine, also indicated that he had an opportunity to watch Coyote Vs. Acme, saying that the entire situation regarding the scrapping of the project is a “disgusting turn of events“. When the movie was originally announced, Coyote Vs. Acme was scheduled to come out on the day Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie premiered in theaters. While a new release date for the animated and live-action hybrid was expected, Warner Bros. Discovery decided to pull the project permanently.
While you won’t be able to see John Cena in this project, he will next be on our screens in Matthew Vaughan‘s Argylle. Check out Cena‘s Instagram post below:
via Collider