It seems Warner Bros Discover CEO David Zaslav didn't like what he saw from Coyote vs Acme and pulled a familiar trick from his playbook.
Instead of releasing the film in theaters or streaming, the film will be cancelled and put in the WB vault, never to be seen. It's reported that with this decision, WB Discovery will receive a $30 million tax write-off on a movie that cost $70 million to produce.
If that sounds familiar, that's because Zaslav did something very similar with Batgirl and Scoob Holiday Haunt!
Coyote vs Acme was a project that was greenlit by Zaslav's predecessor. It was originally slated to be released on July 21, 2023. When it was pulled from WBD's film slate, its release date was given to Barbie.
What makes this move a little more bizarre than the Batgril situation is that Coyote vs Acme is 100% complete and even scored very high in test screenings, reportedly. Deadline Hollywood's report adds that Amazon approached WB to purchase the film for its Prime Video streaming platform but it seems WBD thinks taking the tax write-off will yield better returns.
In a press release, a WB spokesperson wrote, "With the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases. With this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with Coyote vs. Acme. We have tremendous respect for the filmmakers, casts, and crew, and are grateful for their contributions to the film."
Coyote vs Acme was directed by David Green and co-written by Samy Burch, DC Studios co-chair James Gunn, and Jeremy Slater. The film, a live-action/animation hybrid similar to Space Jam, starred Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor.
According to reports, the story of the movie would see Wile E. Coyote from Looney Tunes file a lawsuit against the Acme company after using the company's products to try and capture Road Runner and failing for years.
Forte was set to play Wile E.'s lawyer, while Cena would have played Acme's CEO.
With the news out on Coyote vs Acme, eyes are now turning to another Looney Tunes Movie, The Day the Earth Blew Up. Marketed as the first fully animated Looney Tunes film to be released in theaters, WB revealed at this year's American Film Market event that it expects to release the film in Q2 2024.