Warner Brothers Took John Cena Out Back and Batgirl'd Him

By Nate Parker | Film | November 9, 2023 |

By Nate Parker | Film | November 9, 2023 |

David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and weeping sore on the ass of American cinema, has done it again. Only days after noting children’s lack of interest in MAX — after he spent 2022 cutting most of the classic Looney Tunes, Sesame Street, and other top-level children’s entertainment from the Max library — Zaslav unceremoniously axed Coyote vs. Acme, the hybrid animation/live action movie planned for a 2023 release. First intended for theaters and then pushed as a MAX streaming title, the film starred John Cena and Will Forte and was all about the WB’s iconic Wile E. Coyote taking the ACME Corporation to court for all their faulty gadgets. Produced and partly written by James Gunn, directed by Dave Green, the film reportedly tested well and animation fans were optimistic. Then reality dropped a big steaming Zaslav right in the middle of our hopes and dreams.

Green’s statement is a mild one when you consider that his completed movie is now collecting metaphorical dust on a server backup, assuming it wasn’t deleted outright. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Coyote vs. Acme was Zaslaved into oblivion after he did the same to the $90 million production of Batgirl. It still stings. Looney Tunes: Back In Action with Brendan Fraser is a light, fun family movie. An updated version starring John Cena, Make-A-Wish phenom and Warner Brothers cash cow, seemed a sure win. Add in production and writing from James Gunn, the other best thing to happen to WB since they locked up Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, canceling it feels calculated to piss people off.

Despite David Zaslav’s flamethrower approach to content curation, Warner Bros. Discovery continues to lose stock value and subscribers. It’s a problem CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels ironically blames on an “extraordinarily light content slate.” Max had one of the better collections of children’s and adult animation until they replaced it with reality television. Readers need no reminder Zaslav is a small, petty man who hates movies, television, and the people who make them even though their hard work finances his cowboy cosplay. I’m beginning to think a prep school art teacher was particularly cruel to young David during his adolescence. Or maybe a film student broke his heart. Whatever the reason I would appreciate it if he stopped taking it out on the rest of us, particularly the people who spend years bringing their stories to life.

(Hat Tip: Redmond on the Hed)