We Might Get To See 'Coyote Vs. Acme' After All

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | November 13, 2023 |

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | November 13, 2023 |

Warner Bros. Discovery inspired a new round of fury after CEO David Zaslav, a.k.a. the most incompetent bully in the business, decided to shelf another completed movie for a future tax write-off. Coyote vs. Acme, a live-action/animation hybrid featuring classic Looney Tunes characters and John Cena, was going to be deleted from existence Batgirl style for a quick buck. This was in spite of the film receiving strong test scores from screenings, having current DCEU head James Gunn on board as producer, and other studios expressing interest in acquiring it. But Zaslav is the denim-clad king of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Well, now he might be reversing course. According to Matthew Belloni over on Puck, Warner Bros. executives will allow the filmmakers of Coyote vs. Acme to shop it to other distributors. The report — which is paywalled — says that Warners film chief Mike De Luca and Pam Adby, as well as new studio animation head Bill Damaschke, pushed forward the change following the backlash from fans, filmmakers, and the animation community. Says Belloni, ‘Warners had agreed to pay the top talent their streaming bonuses despite the film being scrapped, but obviously, everyone involved in this project wants it to be released by someone.’

The planned write-off was only $30 million, for a $70 million budgeted movie which, in my opinion, should have been an easy sell. Industry buzz around Coyote vs. Acme was good long before Warner Bros. decided to shit the bed. That they are so quickly changing course is obviously great for the movie and its team, but it also highlights that Zaslav and company truly have no idea what they’re doing. Any goodwill they once had from even the most craven bean counters has evaporated. Why should any filmmaker or actor trust this company? If even James Gunn, the guy who’s dragging your superhero franchise across the finish line after multiple failed starts, can’t guarantee a release, who can?

But hey, it’s nice that bullying Zaslav worked for something. Let’s keep it up and see what else we can change.