In another entry in the depressing movie cancellation trend, Warner Bros. Discovery erased Coyote vs. Acme for the sake of a $30 million tax write-off, leading filmmakers to take to X/Twitter to express their praise for the film as well as their displeasure in the company’s decision to shelve it.
The company decided to lock away the live-action CGI hybrid film starring Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, and John Cena on Thursday after it was completed to the surprise of seemingly everyone. Billed by some as the "next Roger Rabbit," its cancellation was enough to spur a #ReleaseCoyoteVsAcme hashtag.
I thought we were done with the whole tax write-off s#!t, but apparently Warner Bros. Discovery lied to EVERYONE, from the people who made the film to the audience to the shareholders (whom were lied to BIG TIME during the strikes).#ReleaseCoyoteVsAcme pic.twitter.com/ILz1JzTRyN
— Gilbert ?️? #NewDeal4Animation ?? (@discord12395) November 10, 2023
BenDavid Grabinski, co-creator and showrunner of the upcoming Netflix anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, was among the creators who criticized Warner Bros for scrapping the movie before it could even see the light of day.
“COYOTE V ACME is a great movie,” Grabinski said. “The best of its kind since ROGER RABBIT. It's commercial. It tested well. The leads are super likable. It's beautifully shot. The animation is great. The ending makes everyone f****** cry. I thought the goal of this business was to make hit movies?” Grabinski wrote.
COYOTE V ACME is a great movie. The best of its kind since ROGER RABBIT. It's commercial. It tested well. The leads are super likable. It's beautifully shot. The animation is great. The ending makes everyone fucking cry. I thought the goal of this business was to make hit movies?
— BenDavid Grabinski (@bdgrabinski) November 9, 2023
He added in his thread, “This makes me feel insane. It’s a great f****** movie. It’s based on a huge IP. It’s a crowd pleaser. What are we even doing anymore? I really don’t know how we’ve gone from The Battle of Brazil to extremely effective commercial movies being deleted for tax purposes. I will never ever understand this.”
Gary Whitta, screenwriter for Rogue One, The Walking Dead, and Star Wars Rebels, quote-tweeted a post from fellow filmmaker Daniel Galleghost about Warner Bros betraying its 100-year legacy by making profits out of deleting Coyote vs. Acme, which he deemed a “terrific” film, along with other projects that were never released, including Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt.
"Can’t get my head around this. By all accounts COYOTE VS ACME is terrific,” he said. “It’s based on one of WB’s crown jewel properties. Fantastic premise. John Cena. Co-written/produced by James Gunn. There’s been nothing like it since WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? And they just… threw it away.”
Can’t get my head around this. By all accounts COYOTE VS ACME is terrific. It’s based on one of WB’s crown jewel properties. Fantastic premise. John Cena. Co-written/produced by James Gunn. There’s been nothing like it since WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? And they just… threw it away. https://t.co/FLyJxS5HpS
— Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) November 10, 2023
Brian Duffield, screenwriter for No One Will Save You, Skull Island, and Cocaine Bear, said he watched Coyote vs. Acme before it was deleted and noted that it tested well with audiences and piqued buyers’ interest.
“I have seen this movie and it is excellent,” Duffield said, sharing an article from Deadline about the film’s deletion. “It also tested in the high 90s repeatedly. It also had interested buyers. The people working at Warner Bros. are anti-art and I hope multiple anvils drop on their heads.”
— Dave Green (@dgreenmachine) November 9, 2023
Director Dave Green shared a screenshot of a statement he shared on Instagram saying how proud he was to have spent three years producing Coyote vs. Acme and disappointed in Warner Bros for deleting the final film.
“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,” Green wrote. “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 devastated by WB’s decision. But in the spirit of Wile E. Coyote, resilience and persistence win the day.”
Coyote vs. Acme was originally scheduled to release in theaters on July 21, 2023, but no trailers aired online or on television to even show us what the movie actually looked like. In the meantime, animated movies in particular continue to suffer cancellations as Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures and other distributors cull their animation departments amid heavy cutbacks.
For more on the state of the entertainment industry, check out our deep dive into the State of Streaming for 2023.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
