The movie that Warner Bros. made and then refused to release is finally coming to theaters. “Coyote vs. Acme,” the live-action and animation hybrid starring Will Forte and John Cena, opens in cinemas Aug. 28 after a rescue mission that took nearly three years. Ketchup Entertainment acquired the finished film in 2025 and is giving it a global theatrical rollout.
The trailer is now out, offering a first look at the long-delayed project. Directed by Dave Green, the movie follows Wile E. Coyote as he takes legal action against the Acme Corporation, whose products have repeatedly malfunctioned during his pursuit of the Road Runner. Forte plays Coyote’s attorney, with Cena as opposing counsel.
A Movie That Would Not Die
The story behind the release is as wild as anything on screen. “Coyote vs. Acme” was originally developed for HBO Max and completed with a reported budget of about $70 million before Warner Bros. opted not to move forward with it in 2023 as part of a broader distribution shift under CEO David Zaslav. The call followed similar cancellations of finished projects, including “Batgirl” and “Scoob! Holiday Haunt,” and drew industry attention because the film was already done.
The screenplay, written by Samy Burch, is inspired by a 1990 New Yorker article that imagines a legal case against Acme. The movie blends courtroom comedy with the Looney Tunes universe, placing animated characters in a contemporary legal setting and bringing in both household names like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck and lesser-known figures from the franchise.
“I remain proud of the finished film and hopeful that its long and unusual path to release will ultimately help it reach a wider audience,” Forte has said of the movie’s journey.
Why It Matters
“Coyote vs. Acme” has become a symbol of a messy era in Hollywood, where completed movies were written off for tax purposes and shelved entirely. Its theatrical release is a small victory for filmmakers and fans who pushed back on the idea that a finished film should never see an audience. Whether the movie succeeds at the box office is almost beside the point, because its very existence on a theater screen is already a story. When it opens Aug. 28, expect the Looney Tunes comeback to be one of the most talked-about releases of the summer.
