Coyote Vs. Acme, a live-action and CG animation hybrid has been shelved by Warner Bros. a year after filming completed, similar to Batgirl. The film starred John Cena, Lana Condor and Will Forte. It was produced by James Gunn.
This move comes after veteran animation executive Bill Damaschke assumed control of Warner Animation Group earlier this year. “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 said in a statement. “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.”
The movie got the green light from the previous Warner Bros. regime in December 2020, intended as a production for HBO Max, their streaming service. Initially slated for release on July 21, 2023, for reasons unknown, no trailer ever dropped, leaving fans curious about the studio’s plans for the project. Fast forward to April 2022, and Warner Bros. made a move, yanking the film from its release calendar. In its place? Barbie, set to hit screens on the very same July 21 date.
The film was inspired by Ian Frazier’s amusing article, Coyote v. Acme, first published in the New Yorker back in 1990.
Warner Bros will get a $30M tax write-off from shelving Coyote Vs. Acme. The film was completed with very good test scores. Warner Bros. reportedly thought it wasn’t worth the cost to release or to sell to other buyers.
In August 2022, Warner Bros. scrapped on two films; $90 million Batgirl and the $40 million animated Scoob! Holiday Haunt. It turns out it was for a tax write-off, as the new head honcho, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, aimed to save $3 billion across the media conglomerate. Both Batgirl and Scoob! were supposed to be for streaming, but Zaslav decided to switch things up, leaning more towards theatrical releases. This move didn’t sit well with many in the industry, and there was quite a stir about it.
