A spokesperson for Warner Bros. says Coyote vs. Acme could still be shopped around.
Coyote vs. Acme may not be dead after all. Weeks after the screenwriter behind the hybrid live-action and animated film said the film was still being shopped around Hollywood, a new report from the New York Times suggests Warner Bros. isn’t ready to give up on the picture just quite yet. According to the paper, a Warner Bros. spokesperson said reports implying the studio is looking to destroy the film in exchange for a $40 million tax write-off are “inaccurate.”
The method of film cancellations has become a worrying norm for filmmakers, with studios opting to cancel films in order to receive tax benefits rather than the money the film could make at the box office.
“As far as I know, it’s ongoing. I think we’re all pretty heartbroken about it. We hope it will somehow find its home and not end up stuck in a vault for the rest of time. That would be a great resolution,” writer Samy Burch said last year. “I know that they have been screening places and I think they still are. I hope that I’m allowed to say that. I’m going completely rogue here. It’s just the best group of people. Dave Green, who directed it, I just love so much. Will Forte is amazing in the movie. I’ve seen the final cut of the completed film and I’m very proud of it.”
Coyote vs. Acme director Dave Green echoed the sentiment on a social media post of his own, late last year.
“For three years, I was lucky enough to make a movie about Wile E. Coyote, the most persistent, passionate, and resilient character of all time. I was surrounded by a brilliant team, who poured their souls into this project for years. We were all determined to honor the legacies of these historic characters and actually get them right,” Green shared on social media. “Along the ride, we were embraced by test audiences who rewarded us with fantastic scores. I am beyond proud of the final product, and beyond devastated by WB’s decision. But in the spirit of Wile E. Coyote, resilience and persistence win the day.”
Burch wrote the screenplay from a story by James Gunn and Jeremy Slater. The film starred John Cena as the head of Acme, Will Forte as Wile E. Coyote’s lawyer, and Deadly Class star Lana Condor in an undisclosed role.