Coyote vs. Acme reaches theaters after surviving cancellation

Coyote vs. Acme has arrived in theaters after spending years as one of Hollywood’s most visible canceled movies. The live-action and animation hybrid was completed, shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery and later rescued by a new distributor following sustained pressure from filmmakers and fans.

From a tax write-off to a theatrical release

Warner Bros. Discovery set the film aside in November 2023 while considering it for a tax write-off, despite the production already being finished. The move made the project a symbol of a studio era in which completed films could disappear as companies reorganized their streaming and theatrical strategies.

Ketchup Entertainment acquired the movie in March 2025 and scheduled a summer 2026 release. Its arrival in cinemas this week completes a reversal that once seemed improbable to the cast and creative team.

The movie places Wile E. Coyote in a courtroom story after years of defective Acme products undermine his attempts to catch the Road Runner. He hires a lawyer, played by Will Forte, to take on the company. The production combines live performers with the Looney Tunes characters and draws its premise from a 1990 New Yorker piece.

Will Forte credits the audience campaign

At the Los Angeles premiere, Forte said the years of uncertainty had felt like an emotional roller coaster. He admitted that he initially doubted online support could change the studio’s decision, but later credited that pressure with helping the film survive.

The release does not erase the broader debate over shelved productions, tax strategy and ownership of completed creative work. It does provide a rare example of a canceled studio movie finding another buyer, a marketing campaign and a full theatrical run. Its Los Angeles premiere finally brought the cast and filmmakers together around a movie many had believed audiences would never see. For the filmmakers, Wile E. Coyote’s refusal to stop trying became an unusually appropriate metaphor for the project itself.