Warner Bros has completed the sale we told you about a couple weeks ago for their previously shelved Coyote Vs. Acme movie.
Ketchup Entertainment today confirmed their completed deal for worldwide rights to the live-action/animated hybrid film that brings Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote to the big screen. We had the deal pegged in the $50M range and the film is expected to get a theatrical release in 2026.
Gareth West, CEO of Ketchup Entertainment, said today: “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.”
Directed by David Green and written by May December scribe Samy Burch, the film is produced by Chris deFaria and DC Studios co-boss James Gunn. The film is based on the Looney Tunes characters and the New Yorker humor article “Coyote v. Acme” by Ian Frazier.
Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor and Tone Bell star in the movie, which follows Wile E. Coyote, who, after Acme products fail him one too many times in his dogged pursuit of the Roadrunner, decides to hire a billboard lawyer to sue the Acme Corporation. The case pits Wile E. and his lawyer (Forte) against the latter’s intimidating former boss (Cena), but a growing friendship between man and cartoon stokes their determination to win.
Despite test-screening well, the project became a high-profile casualty of WB cost-cutting two years ago and it had been sitting on the shelf for more than a year. The studio reportedly screened the movie to a string of buyers in early 2024 with a price tag of around $70M, which is how much the film is said to have cost. Studio sources claim to us that they didn’t get any offers at the time.
Shelving the movie put noses out of joint with talks of a potential tax write-down. Among those dismayed were Lego Movie director Phil Lord. The film’s star Forte called the move “f*cking bullsh*t”.
The Coyote deal by Ketchup marks a significant and record outlay for the company, whose previous releases have included Michael Keaton starrer Goodrich, comic book reboot Hellboy: The Crooked Man, Ben Affleck thriller Hypnotic, and Michel Franco’s Jessica Chastain drama Memory.
Ketchup last year rescued the same studio’s The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.