If you went back to November 2023 and told “Coyote vs.
Acme” director Dave Green that his Looney Toons legal comedy would make its debut at San Diego Comic-Con, he probably wouldn’t believe it.That’s mostly because that’s when Green found out the film had been put aside by Warner Bros.Discovery as a tax write-off.
“For three years, I was lucky enough to make a movie about Wile E.
Coyote, the most persistent, passionate, and resilient character of all time,” Green said on X after getting the “devastating” news.“But in the spirit of Wile E.Coyote, resilience and persistence win the day.”
And they did win the day.
Ketchup Entertainment took over and planned a theatrical release on August 28.“Coyote vs.Acme”—an animated/live-action mix about Wile E.Coyote fighting the Acme Corporation for making faulty products—will have its first public showing on Saturday night at Comic-Con.
“I’ve waited so long to see their reaction.
I feel like the years, to me, have all led up to tonight,” said Lana Condor, who plays in the film with Will Forte, John Cena, and Looney Tunes like Roadrunner, Tweety, and Bugs Bunny.“I want so badly for them to love it, and I think they will.I’m so confident in that.”
The most lasting image of the effort to save “Coyote vs.
Acme” was a lone protester dressed as Wile E.Coyote holding a sign that said “Release Me” outside Warner Bros.Studios in the rain.
“We did a call to action, ‘Where are you?
Reveal yourselves, we would love to invite you!’” Condor said.But Green confirmed the lone protester never came forward.Still, the anonymous person’s legacy is still alive as the “Coyote vs.Acme” team made one of his masks for last year’s Comic-Con panel.
“We figured out how his costume was built, and it was made out of paper!” Green said excitedly.
“Coyote vs.
Acme” is heading to theaters while Warner Bros.is going through another big change—this time, the pending merger with Paramount Skydance, which is making many people in the industry nervous.
Even though the bigger effects of the Warner-Paramount merger are still unclear (especially after the merger was delayed), for tonight, the whole “Coyote vs.
Acme” cast and crew have a lot to celebrate.
“So many people stood up for a film they didn’t even see… which is exactly Wile’s entire journey throughout our entire film!” Condor said.
“The reason that it’s going to come out at all, I firmly believe, is because of the fans.That was really incredible to experience.That’s why tonight, we’re so excited to screen it for the first time because this is what you fought for.I’m so confident that the fight was for a good reason.”
The film’s script was written by “May December” writer Samy Burch, based on a story by James Gunn and Jeremy Slater.
It is based on a 1990 New Yorker article by Ian Frazier.
