Fans of the Looney Tunes, particularly one Wile E. Coyote (Super Genius), have had an interesting roller coaster ride of a weekend. Last week’s announcement that Warner Bros. shelved Coyote Vs. Acme was, by conservative estimates, a bummer. And tons of reactions filled the internet asking why such a thing would be allowed. However, as of this morning, if you were one of those folks who fit that description, you might be in luck.
As it turns out, there may be hope for the John Cena/Will Forte-led ensemble comedy after all; with big emphasis on “maybe.” A report from Puck News landed recently, with an indication that Warner Bros. has changed its mind, and will be entertaining offers to buy director Dave Green’s CGI/Live-Action hybrid.
Apparently, those in the know have alleged that both the public and industry outcry, such as Rogue One writer Gary Whitta’s honest thoughts, as well as “some heated back-and-forth between the studio and reps for the director and stars,” have put the film back in play. Things get even more interesting with the Coyote vs. Acme debacle. thanks to further information that those supposed sources provided.
On one hand, these unnamed contributors threw some cold water on the claims that Coyote vs. Acme tested as well as claimed by its boosters. At the same time, there are voices in the mix who say that this picture is “definitely good enough” to go into theaters. It's a rather interesting scenario, as you'd think Warner Bros. brass would want to keep the alleged hype train rolling, in order to bring in a sweet deal.
Those claims of “heated back-and-forth” would seem to be on brand though. Not only did director Dave Green publicly express sadness in the shelving and pride in the work, but Coyote vs. Acme star John Cena’s recent cryptic social media posts now seem to be a clear reference to these dealings. Which makes this latest offering from Cena all the more interesting to observe:
So while there’s hope in the air, there’s also a chance that this new found optimism could find an anvil dropped on its metaphorical head. Quite frankly, this is kind of uncharted territory, as the previous scrapping of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt failed to see such a reprieve. Maybe the noise for Coyote vs. Acme was loud enough for people in power to notice; in which case, one has to wonder if those lost films will also have a shot at this sort of redemption?
Obviously, we need to take an Acme-sized step back here and remember that this update in the Coyote vs. Acme saga is all speculation at this point. For all we know these sources wrote their claims with disappearing/reappearing ink, and until there’s official word, all of this is a pipe dream. That being said, it’s still nice to be able to dream that composer Steven Price’s “Meep Meep” chorus might get to play in a theater near us all in the near future.
If you’re itching to see Coyote vs. Acme, there’s no concrete news on when to even begin to expect its arrival. One’s best guess would say that the 2024 movie schedule certainly has room for it, and that’d make for the second Looney Tunes movie eyeing a debut in that frame. However, you can enjoy the perennially underrated Looney Tunes: Back in Action, if you have a Max subscription. Wile E. Coyote and Brendan Fraser…what more could you want?
