Last week the news broke that Warner Bros had shelved another completed movie: Coyote Vs Acme. It was originally meant to be released in theaters July 21, 2023, but that never happened and no one knew where it went until the announcement came that it was meeting the same fate as Batgirl and Scoob: Holiday Haunt.
This time, however….things were different. Movie enthusiasts basically had their Twisted Sister “We’re Not Gonna Take It Anymore” moment and #ReleaseCoyoteVsAcme trended strong on social media for the next few days. Crew members and staff released reels from behind the scenes that WB vainly attempted to strike down. Now we’re getting word that WB may have actually heard all that outrage and could be considering a reversal of their previous decision.
Actually, according to THR, the most likely deciding factor in WB going back on this was the fact that, after the abrupt burial of Coyote Vs Acme, several high-profile directors cancelled their meetings with WB executives. Brian Duffield, whose most recent project was the cerebral Hulu thriller No One Will Save You, was one of those people, and is quoted as saying “I don’t know how you see the movie and then go, ‘That couldn’t happen to me.’”
Seems if you treat your talent like disposable garbage, THEY DON’T LIKE IT! Who woulda guessed? Faced with a potential catastrophic brain drain anyone could have seen coming, the decision was made to order a stay of execution for Coyote Vs Acme and allow interested third parties to bid on the rights. Thanks to the commotion, there are quite a few.
Originally announced for HBO Max in 2022, Coyote Vs Acme is a live-action / animated hybrid movie about the often-injured canid who finally decides to strike back against the source of his injuries by suing the Acme corporation. A small-time lawyer agrees to take his case, but representing Acme is his former boss from the law firm he just got kicked out of. John Cena is attached to the film, as the defense lawyer, while Will Forte plays the underdog.
Wherever Coyote Vs Acme winds up, we’re a lot more interested in seeing the finished product than we might’ve been otherwise. There are better ways to market a film, however.
