Today Wile E. Coyote Blew Up the Internet and Now He Will Have His Day in Court

That’s NOT all folks! Early this morning, just about every news outlet reported that Wile E. Coyote will have his day in court after all.

The long-awaited yet cancelled film, Coyote vs. Acme has been brought back to life thanks to Ketchup Entertainment. The distributor who took a chance on the hit, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, has acquired the rights to the Coyote film. The success of the Daffy Duck and Porky Pig movie helped to prove that there is an audience out there who will support other WB cartoon movies.

Today, Gareth West, CEO of Ketchup Entertainment, said in a statement: “We’re thrilled to have made a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring this film to audiences worldwide. Coyote vs. Acme is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the beloved Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation. We believe it will resonate with both longtime fans and newcomers alike.”

Since 2018, Warner Bros. had teased us with an announcement that the studio was developing a full-length, live-action and animated film focusing on the lone coyote only to have our dreams dashed November 9, 2024.

Although completed, Warner Bros. was giving Coyote vs. Acme the Batgirl treatment by canceling the theatrical and public release of the film allowing the studio to receive a $30 million tax write-off.

However, unlike Batgirl and another WB film, Scoob! Holiday Haunt! which were cancelled before they were completed, Coyote vs. Acme was a done deal. Despite WB’s lack of faith in the project to do well, others disagreed.

The test screenings of the film received positive feedback and there were interested buyers for the movie. It is said that more than a few filmmakers left angry phone messages to Warner Bros. sharing their frustration about the move. Some even canceled meetings and pitches with the studio in fear that their next project could face the same fate.

But just as Wile E. Coyote has numerous times fallen seemingly to his death, Warner Bros. listened. Just days later on November 13, the studio reversed its decision allowing the film to be shopped to other distributors. Amazon Prime, Netflix, Apple TV+ were all interested in purchasing the rights to the movie.

“I am beyond proud of the final product, and beyond devastated by WB’s decision,” said the film’s director, Dave Green. “But in the spirit of Wile E. Coyote, resilience and persistence win the day.”

But no deal was made.

Actor Will Forte, who stars in the film with John Cena, did not hold back his disappointment with the studio’s decision. He told MovieWeb, “It is such a delightful movie. It deserves so much better than it got. I can’t tell you possibly why the decision was made to not release it. But it makes my blood boil.”

But thankfully, this is all behind us now. The only sad news at this point is that we will still have to wait a while to see this movie as reports suggest it won’t come to theaters until sometime in 2026. But a win is a win.

Coyote vs. Acme is said to be inspired by Ian Frazier’s short story of the same name that was featured in The New Yorker in 1990. The story tells of Wile E. Coyote’s lawsuit against the Acme Company for providing him with faulty products in his efforts to catch the Road Runner.

Forte plays Kevin Avery, the coyote’s lawyer and Cena plays Buddy Crane, Acme’s Corporation’s lawyer. Green has confirmed that cameos of other Looney Tunes characters will also appear throughout the film. Many of the cartoon voices will be supplied by Eric Bauza. (Bauza voiced both Daffy Duck and Porky Pig in The Day the Earth Blew Up.)

Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are two of the WB’s younger stars. Their first theatrical appearance was made on September 17, 1949, when they starred in Fast and Furry-ous. Developed as a parody of Tom and Jerry cartoons, animation director Chuck Jones is credited with creating the iconic characters along with writer Michael Maltese.

The coyote rarely speaks, but when he does, usually when chasing after Bugs Bunny instead of the bird, he speaks with an unexpected, refined accent and refers to himself as Wile E. Coyote, Genius. In 1966, he and the Road Runner were brought to TV as a Saturday morning TV series for CBS paired with Bugs Bunny and friends.

It’s been a few years since a Road Runner cartoon short was shown in movie theaters. The last, Flash in the Pain, was released in 2014. And just like Wile, it was genius.

Main image: Pixabay and Wikipedia/Warner Bros.