\n<\/p>\n
Warner Bros. Discovery just canned Coyote vs. Acme<\/em>, a live-action and animated film featuring John Cena and the classic Looney Tunes<\/em> hijinks of Wile E. Coyote. Director Dave Green confirmed that the nearly completed film will not be released shortly after Deadline<\/em> and The Hollywood Reporter<\/em> broke<\/a> the news<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Coyote vs. Acme<\/em> is the third almost finished film that CEO David Zaslav has shelved for financial reasons. Like Batgirl<\/em><\/a> and Scoob! Holiday Haunt<\/em><\/a>, Coyote vs. Acme<\/em> got sent to the vault so Warner Bros. Discovery could get a tax write-off as part of its efforts to cut billions in costs<\/a> following last year\u2019s megamerger. The Coyote vs. Acme<\/em> film cost around $72 million to make, according to The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>, making for a $30 million tax write-off. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Needless to say, the people who worked on the film aren\u2019t happy about this decision. \u201cFor three years, I was lucky enough to make a movie about Wile E. Coyote,\u201d Green said in a statement<\/a> on X (formerly Twitter). \u201cI was surrounded by a brilliant team, who poured their souls into this project for years… I am beyond proud of the final product, and beyond devastated by WB\u2019s decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The film is inspired by the 1990 \u201cCoyote v. Acme\u201d<\/em> humor article<\/a> written by Ian Frazier for The New Yorker<\/em>, which has Wile E. Coyote file a lawsuit against the Acme Company for the personal injuries and mental suffering he incurred while endlessly chasing the Road Runner. The movie was supposed to be released on July 21st, 2023, but it ended up getting replaced by Barbie<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWith the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy\u00a0to focus on theatrical releases,\u201d a Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group spokesperson tells The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>. \u201cWith this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with\u00a0Coyote vs Acme<\/em>.\u201d Warner Bros. Discovery didn\u2019t immediately respond to The Verge<\/em>\u2019s request for comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Filmmakers are condemning Warner Bros. Discovery\u2019s decision to shelve yet another film \u2014 especially Coyote vs. Acme<\/em>. As noted by Green, the film received \u201cfantastic scores\u201d from test audiences, something echoed by filmmaker BenDavid Grabinski<\/a>, who co-created Scott Pilgrim Takes Off<\/em>. On X, Grabinski said the film is \u201cthe best of its kind since ROGER RABBIT,\u201d adding, \u201cThe leads are super likable. It\u2019s beautifully shot. The animation is great… What are we even doing anymore?\u201d Cocaine Bear<\/em> producer Brian Duffield similarly said<\/a> the movie \u201cis excellent\u201d and called the people at Warner Bros. Discovery \u201canti-art.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n You can get a small taste of the work that went into creating Coyote vs. Acme<\/em> in the embedded post above<\/a>, which shows behind-the-scenes footage of the \u201cMeep Meep\u201d Road Runner choir. What\u2019s more, Zaslav\u2019s decision to dump the film seems to directly contradict what he said during Warner Bros. Discovery\u2019s most recent earnings call, stating the company needs to bulk up its content load with \u201cunderused\u201d franchises. If Zaslav feels comfortable throwing away a nearly finished film attached to a historic piece of intellectual property, that means nothing is safe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n