Scrapped Looney Tunes film ‘Coyote vs Acme’ will be released next year

1 April, 2025

Looney Tunes

Coyote Vs Acme will finally make it to cinemas after a deal has been reached to buy it from its parent studio.

The film is a comedy about beloved Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme company following the failure of every product he has purchased to trap the Road Runner. It was produced by James Gunn and features a human cast that includes comedian Will Forte and wrestler-turned-actor John Cena.

Having been filmed in 2022, the finished movie was shelved by Warner Bros Discovery in November 2023 in order to obtain a tax write-off. Backlash followed from fans of the characters, as well as star Forte, who in February called the situation “fucking bullshit”. Warner Bros Discovery would later say it was entertaining offers for the film from other studios.

No footage has been released for the film, although voice actor Eric Bauza had released a still from the movie on X (formerly Twitter).

Deadline have now reported that Ketchup Entertainment, the company that recently released the film The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, have now acquired the live-action/animation hybrid for what the outlet estimates is around $50million. A cinema release is pencilled in for 2026.

In a statement, Gareth West, CEO of Ketchup Entertainment, said: “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”.

This will be the fifth Looney Tunes movie released in cinemas, having first come to the big screen with 1996 smash hit Space Jam. A 2021 sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy, was released in 2021 and was met with a poor response. The director of the original, Joe Pytka, called it so “boring” that he “couldn’t finish it in one sitting”.

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