When Warner Bros. said, "That's all, folks," to Coyote vs. Acme, the internet bounced back, demanding that the live-action Looney Tunes movie finally see its day on the big screen. Unfortunately, the studio didn't budge from shelving the project to take a $30 million tax write-off, and now one of the film's stars, Nick Forte, has spoken out about the decision.
“My thoughts were that it’s fucking bullshit,” the actor told MovieWeb, backing the film that the rest of the world will never see. “It is such a delightful movie. It deserves so much better than it got. I can’t tell you possibly why the decision was made to not release it. But it makes my blood boil.”
In the film, Forte plays a down-on-his-luck human attorney who partners up with Wile E. Coyote for a lawsuit of the century. Tired of ACME products failing to do their job in capturing his longtime target, the Road Runner, Wile E. attempts to file a case against the mega corporation for all his years of trauma and presumably the bulk buying of sandwich board signs that have "HELP!" on them. The film also starred John Cena and Lana Condor.
Pleased to hear that the world hadn't forgotten about this now archived animation, Forte said, “Thank you for asking me about it because I like talking about the movie because I don’t want people to forget what [Warner Bros.] did to this,” The whole experience certainly sounds like a bittersweet one that he's still understandably sore over. “I appreciate them letting us make it, but don’t let us make this thing that we fall in love with and then not show it. I would understand if the thing sucked, but it’s really good. Maybe, somehow, we get to see it at some point. I hope people do. I was really proud of it.”
Coyote vs. Acme wasn't the only film to sink to the depths of the Warner Bros. water tower. Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, which promised some festive frights, also got tucked away, all in a business deal Forte confesses isn't his territory.
“Look, when it comes to Hollywood business stuff, I don’t know shit about shit. Even when a movie tests very well (like ours), there’s no guarantee that it’s gonna be a hit,” he added. “And at the end of the day, the people who paid for this movie can obviously do whatever they want with it. It doesn’t mean I have to like it (I fucking hate it). Or agree with it. And it doesn’t mean that this movie is anything less than magnificent.” We believe you, Forte. It's just a shame that your poor Coyote pal's run of bad luck didn't stop with his very own film. Meep-meep. As for films that are coming out this year, check out our guide for every major film coming out in cinemas and on streaming services in 2025 here.
