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Will Forte could not have been prouder of Coyote vs Acme. The live-action animation hybrid, in which a disgruntled Wile E. Coyote and his lawyer (played by Forte) face off against John Cena in a chaotic courtroom battle, was one of the most entertaining \u2013 and heartwarming \u2013 projects he\u2019d worked on. His wife, after watching it for the first time, even told him it was hands-down the best thing he\u2019d ever done.<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s safe to say that its inexplicable axing in 2023 sent Forte into a head-spin.<\/p>\n
![\"Will](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/554e2c1791291c756b65a3f695a4c34b20b76045.jpeg\")
Will Forte (right) couldn\u2019t have loved Coyote vs Acme more. Suffice to say, its cancellation floored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a movie that I wanted so badly to share with my kids, but [I realised] I was never going to get to. It was confusing, frustrating and heartbreaking. I was just pissed,\u201d said the American actor and comedian, who is known for his stint on Saturday Night Live<\/a> and, more recently, Tina Fey\u2019s The Four Seasons<\/a>.<\/p>\n Coyote vs Acme, Dave Green\u2019s absurd comedy in the vein of Who Framed Roger Rabbit<\/a>, was ready to hit screens when it was suddenly shelved by Warner Bros in November 2023. Despite ongoing praise from its producers, overwhelmingly positive test screenings and a $US70 million budget, the studio decided it would be better off as a $US30 million tax write-off. Its fate mirrored that of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, both of which were cancelled by Warner Bros the year prior.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the relaunch of Warner Bros Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases,\u201d a WB Motion Picture Group spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> in 2023. \u201cWith 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The decision was driven by a desire to offset corporate losses, a strategy spearheaded by the studio\u2019s new head, David Zaslav. But for those who worked on the film, as well as the Looney Tunes fans feverishly anticipating its release, it was a punch to the gut.<\/p>\n \u201cWe heard that Warner Bros was going to shelve it, but they still said we could come see the movie that next Tuesday. So, for the five or six days before that screening, I thought, \u2018This is probably going to suck. If they\u2019re going to shelve it, it can\u2019t be good. Maybe these producers are just too deep in it to see that\u2019. Then I showed up [to the screening] and I just loved it with all my heart. I was so proud of it, which was heartbreaking. I got so mad for a long time,\u201d Forte says.<\/p>\n The film\u2019s cancellation was especially disappointing given how broad he expected its appeal to be. Based on a 1990 New Yorker article by Ian Frazier, Coyote vs Acme tells Wile E. Coyote\u2019s story. Fed up by the countless Acme products that have malfunctioned \u2013 costing him his lifelong dream of capturing the Road Runner \u2013 he decides to sue the major corporation with the help of Kevin Avery (Forte), a down-and-out billboard lawyer. This results in the unlikely pair going head-to-head with Acme\u2019s chief executive, Foghorn Leghorn, as well as his ruthless lawyer Buddy Crane (Cena).<\/p>\n For Looney Tunes fans, it delivers a healthy dose of nostalgia, reconnecting audiences with \u201cold buddies\u201d. Forte himself says the cartoons helped to form his comedic mind from a young age, subconsciously inspiring him to weave some of its madcap absurdity into his own comedy. That said, you don\u2019t need to be a fan to enjoy this film. It has \u201ca bit of everything\u201d, Forte says, from legal drama to slapstick comedy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just this weird thing of: The movie\u2019s testing really well, and it\u2019s your IP [intellectual property]. If you\u2019re not going to take a chance on that, what are you going to take a chance on?\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond the upset and disappointment, however, lay a painfully ironic parallel. Coyote vs Acme is largely Wile E. Coyote\u2019s story. It\u2019s an underdog tale, or as Forte puts it, a tale about \u201cthe little guy against the big corporation\u201d. Everyone, from the cast and crew to the fans, immediately noticed the connection between Coyote\u2019s journey and the film itself. If anything, it just made the movie even more resonant, Forte says, not only to himself but to every other Looney Tunes lover.<\/p>\n Related Article As soon as the film was scrapped, fans and industry heads went to battle on social media, launching relentless campaigns in a bid to pressure Warner Bros into selling the project to another studio.<\/p>\n \u201cDisappointed, and somewhat mystified by the Coyote vs Acme news,\u201d the film\u2019s composer Steven Price wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cDave Green made (and completed) an excellent movie, and a lot of people \u2013 not least the brilliant musicians and colleagues who worked with me on the score \u2013 poured their hearts into it \u2026 that\u2019s (f—) all folks!\u201d <\/p>\n Writer-director BenDavid Grabinski, who received an off-screen additional literary credit for the film, lamented Warner Bros\u2019 decision, writing on X that Coyote vs Acme was \u201cthe best of its kind\u201d since Who Framed Roger Rabbit.<\/p>\n \u201cThe leads are super likable. It\u2019s beautifully shot. The animation is great. The ending makes everyone f—ing cry,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI thought the goal of this business was to make hit movies?\u201d<\/p>\n Looney Tunes fans even released an online petition<\/a> urging Warner Bros to release Coyote vs Acme, attracting 23,483 supporters. It was in this response that Forte discovered a silver lining. \u201cIt was a good lesson in the power of people,\u201d he says. \u201cFans of the movie did not give up. They had hope when I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n It was their \u201cconstant noise-making\u201d, he says, that eventually caught the attention of another studio: Ketchup Entertainment.<\/p>\n In late March 2025, Ketchup \u2013 a far smaller studio than Warner Bros, but one that has released hits such as Michael Mann\u2019s Ferrari (2023) \u2013 acquired the rights to Coyote vs Acme in a deal reportedly worth about $US50 million. And now, nearly three years since it was axed, it\u2019s finally set to appear on Australian screens on September 17.<\/p>\n Ketchup has become something of a saving grace for Looney Tunes, having also recently released The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie<\/a>, another film jettisoned by Warner Bros. This movie, which is entirely animated, managed to gross $US8.2 million in domestic ticket sales after just three weeks in cinemas.<\/p>\n In a slightly twisted way, Forte says he\u2019s actually grateful to Warner Bros for cancelling Coyote vs Acme.<\/p>\n \u201cIt might have all happened for a reason,\u201d he says. \u201cAs much as I think they made a mistake not putting it in theatres themselves, I\u2019m thankful that they let somebody else do it. And look, I understand it\u2019s always a crap-shoot. They\u2019re making a business decision \u2026 [but] it might be because of that craziness that we went through \u2013 that rollercoaster ride that Warner Bros put us through \u2013 that might make more people hear about the movie.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article It certainly was a tough journey, he says. But neither the fans nor those involved in the film gave up on it \u2013 just like Coyote refused to give up on catching the Road Runner.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a character who doesn\u2019t know the word \u2018quit\u2019. He\u2019s facing insurmountable odds, and he just still goes for it every single time. He fails spectacularly, picks himself back up, gets a little rest, and then goes out again. It\u2019s a good lesson for people \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t say use that in your desire to kill birds or people, but you know, just in that attitude towards positive goals.\u201d<\/p>\n Wile E. was never Forte\u2019s favourite Looney Tunes character \u2013 he preferred Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny (aka \u201cthe Fonzie of Looney Tunes\u201d) \u2013 but the coyote is definitely up there now. Forte developed a deep connection with this wildly resilient character, even before post-production brought him to life and he was just a tennis ball on a stick. Coyote is an underdog who found hope among the madness \u2013 just as Forte did with this film.<\/p>\n Coyote vs Acme is in cinemas on September 17.<\/p>\n Must-see movies, interviews and all the latest from the world of film delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our Screening Room newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Coyote](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/f69f0b4f8b5440a76db1a5f3dde0d1713c53e78b.jpeg\")
Coyote vs Acme has an impressive cast, including John Cena and several iconic Looney Tunes characters. But that didn\u2019t stop it from being axed.<\/p>\n![\"Eric](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/9cd41601160a9689a4a98066023ed21cc3df4e37.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Wile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/adb536efa5fcdf86d5dfefc09333db10e1fba2f6.jpeg\")
Wile E. Coyote never gives up. Coyote vs Acme didn\u2019t either.<\/p>\n![\"Nicole](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0b1b84e258aa553456dd1afcaa045964ad030f0adaf9712e3d3fd5d8da66d1cf.jpeg\")
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