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For fans of John Cena and the Looney Tunes, hope may finally be on the horizon.
Deadline.com is reporting that WBD, which shelved the film after it was completed, is currently in negotiations to sell the film off to Ketchup Entertainment for $50 million. Ketchup purchased the distribution for the recently released Daffy Duck and Porky Pig animated theatrical film The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. Deadline states that the plan would be for Coyote to get a 2026 theatrical run...IF the deal goes through.
Cena was asked about WBD's decision to scuttle the completed project while promoting his Prime Video film Jackpot! last year, commenting, "There's a lot there and everyone's perspective is different. We don't own the film. That's the tough part about this business, you do have a sense of ownership because you invest heart and soul. And [director] Dave Green and everybody involved, we made what we thought was a good movie. I would have liked to seen it given a chance, but I'm just one person. And if it was shelved, I would have to think that it was shelved for the right reasons and it was a good business decision. I think I would have tremendous regret and shame if I look back on the legacy of the movie and it was shelved for reasons other than that. So I have to believe in the process. And I love the movie, my heart and soul is in there, but it's somebody else's project to do what they want with and they've chosen accordingly."
As previously reported by The Wrap, Warner Bros. Discovery had previously rejected all bids on the shelved film, would have told the tale of "a down-on-his-luck (human) attorney who takes on Wile E Coyote. as a client in his suit against Acme over its defective products, only to discover that his boss at his former law firm is representing Acme."
If the film is not acquired, It is extremely likely that that the film will never be seen by the public. There were a few private screenings, all of which led to praise for the film.
In November 2023, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the film had been canceled by Warner Bros Discovery and would not be released despite filming having been completed on the live action-CGI film. Cena was to play Coyote's former boss at Acme.
Actor Will Forte, who stars alongside Cena in the film, blasted WBD for shelving the completed project. “My thoughts were that it’s f--king bullsh--,” Forte 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. Thank you for asking me about it because I like talking about the movie because I don’t want people to forget what [Warner Bros.] did to this. I appreciate them letting us make it, but don’t let us make this thing that we fall in love with and then not show it. I would understand if the thing sucked, but it’s really good. Maybe somehow we get to see it at some point. I hope people do. I was really proud of it.”
WBD decided not to release the film in order to take a big tax break. They had made similar decisions on a Scooby Doo animated film that was finished, Holiday Haunt as well as most famously, a Batgirl live action film film that was to have featured Michael Keaton, which was in post-production at the time the film was shut down, taken out of the hands of the filmmakers, was never completed and will never be seen.
“With the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases,” a WB Motion Picture Group spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement in 2023 “With this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with Coyote vs Acme. We have tremendous respect for the filmmakers, casts, and crew, and are grateful for their contributions to the film.”
After great backlash to the Coyote being shelved, Deadline Hollywood reported in December 2023 that Netflix and Paramount made formal bids for the hybrid live-action animated comedy starring John Cena. Paramount's proposal would feature a 2024 theatrical release along with streaming. Deadline sources stated at the time that Warner Bros. Discovery wants "$70 million and then some" which would cover the initial tax write-off for Warner Bros. Discovery wanted. Reportedly, Amazon was also mulling over putting in a bid, while Apple and Sony who had also seen the film, were not.
In 2023, the film's Director Dave Green wrote on his social media, "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. 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."
The Wrap later reported that WBD just wants to "close the book" on the film and take the tax break. WBD head David Zaslav was reported at the time to have never actually watched the film and according to the report, was looking to "delete the film."
Production took place in 2022 in New Mexico.
So, if you like Cena, The Coyote, The Roadrunner, Will Forte, etc., keep your fingers crossed.
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