One of the biggest Hollywood tragedies of the past decade is the tendency by studios — mostly David Zaslav’s regime at Warner Bros. — to disregard art and throw it in the garbage as a misguided tax write-off. It’s insulting to the art form, to say the last, and a kick in the groin to the hundreds of people who put their time and effort to make movies like “Batgirl,” “Scoob! Holiday Haunt,” and of course, “Coyote vs. ACME.”
The film would have marked the fourth live-action/animation hybrid movie starring Looney Tunes characters, until David Zaslav decided to become public enemy #1 and spit in the face of cinema by shelving the completed picture. “Coyote vs. ACME” centers on the titular Wile E. Coyote, who finally has enough of his myriad ACME products backfiring and decides to sue the company. The film stars Will Forte as Wile E. Coyote’s lawyer and John Cena as the lawyer for the ACME Corporation.
The loss of any Looney Tunes movie is a tragedy. These are some of Warner Bros.’ oldest and most iconic characters, and some of the most important characters in the history of cinema. The fact that Warner Bros. not only shelved the movie, but then decided to make it impossible for any other studio to buy it, is just vile.
But thankfully, there seems to be some hope left in the story of Wile E. Coyote. According to Deadline, Ketchup Entertainment is now in negotiations with Warner Bros. to acquire all rights to “Coyote vs. ACME.” Granted, the deal is not finalized, and there’s a chance Zaslav still pulls a Zaslav, but this is promising nonetheless.
We already had one great Looney Tunes movie in 2025
Ketchup Entertainment would be a wonderful choice to rescue and release “Coyote Vs. ACME.” After all, the company already rescued another Looney Tunes movie that Warner Bros. was inexplicably letting die — “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.” This is the very first feature-length Looney Tunes movie to get a theatrical release, and also one of the best movies of 2024 (since it screened in many countries last year). Directed by “Uncle Grandpa” creator Peter Browngardt, the film is a hilarious sci-fi buddy movie starring Porky Pig and Daffy the Duck as they face an alien invasion while trying to pay for repairs to keep their home. (To find out why Bugs Bunny, the most famous Looney Tune character, doesn’t appear in the film, click here.) It’s funny, absurd, beautifully animated in 2D, and a movie that should absolutely not have been kept away from theaters, so we’re thrilled that it got released.
Ketchup Entertainment is reportedly offering around $50 million for the rights to “Coyote Vs. ACME,” and if there’s any hope for the future of Looney Tunes, Warner Bros. should take it and let the characters live in a new movie. If a deal happens, the film could be released theatrically in 2026. Fingers crossed.
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