Will Forte says Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to effectively cancel “Coyote vs. Acme” is total “fucking bullshit.”
The actor, who starred in the scrapped live-action/animation hybrid movie as Wile E. Coyote’s lawyer, told MovieWeb during a recent interview (which you can watch in full in the below video) that he still wants WBD to release the film. Or at the very least, he wants to ensure the public does not let the mega-corporation off the hook. “I don’t want people to forget what [Warner Bros.] did to this,” Forte said.
“Coyote vs. Acme” completed production in New Mexico in 2022 and was set to start streaming on Max on July 21, 2023 before Warner Bros. removed it from the release schedule. The film was directed by David Green and written by Oscar-nominated “May December” scribe Samy Burch; James Gunn produced the feature and also received a story credit. John Cena and Lana Condor co-starred with Forte.
WBD announced at the time that it had no plans to ever release the $70 million movie; the feature was made available to be sold to another interested studio, but when the production cost was not covered by any offers, WBD opted not to release the feature and take a $30 million tax write-off instead.
“My thoughts were that it’s fucking bullshit,” Forte now said about the studio decision. “It is such a delightful movie. It deserves so much better than it got. I can’t tell you possibly why the decision was made to not release it. But it makes my blood boil.”
Forte continued, “Thank you for asking me about it because I like talking about the movie because I don’t want people to forget what [Warner Bros.] did to this. I appreciate them letting us make it, but don’t let us make this thing that we fall in love with and then not show it. I would understand if the thing sucked, but it’s really good. Maybe somehow we get to see it at some point. I hope people do. I was really proud of it.”
Forte previously took to Instagram in early 2024 to say that he “fucking hate[d]” that the film was scrapped. “Super funny throughout, visually stunning, sweet, sincere, and emotionally resonant in a very earned way. As the credits rolled, I just sat there thinking how lucky I was to be part of something so special,” Forte wrote at the time. “That quickly turned to confusion and frustration. This was the movie they’re not going to release?”
He added, “Look, when it comes to Hollywood business stuff, I don’t know shit about shit. Even when a movie tests very well (like ours), there’s no guarantee that it’s going to be a hit. And at the end of the day, the people who paid for this movie can obviously do whatever they want with it. It doesn’t mean I have to like it (I fucking hate it). Or agree with it. And it doesn’t mean that this movie is anything less than magnificent.”
The shelving of “Coyote vs. Acme” also led to social media backlash against WBD. Many have called for the film to be released and not go the way of “Batgirl” and “Scoob! Holiday Haunt,” other shelved properties that were scrapped for tax write-offs.
A Warner Bros. Motion Pictures Group spokesperson explained in 2023 that it was a “tough decision” to not the film “Coyote vs Acme.”
“With the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases. With this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with ‘Coyote vs Acme,’” the spokesperson said. “We have tremendous respect for the filmmakers, casts, and crew, and are grateful for their contributions to the film. This was a tough decision, and we recognize and deeply appreciate the effort and time that goes into making a movie.”
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