Will Forte, one of the stars of Warner Bros. lamentably shelved Coyote Vs. Acme is opening up about the "white hot anger" he felt at the news that the movie would not be released in an unsparing criticism of WB's handling of the film.
"Extreme frustration, fiery frustration, a lot of anger, white hot anger," Forte tells Entertainment Weekly about his reaction to Coyote Vs. Acme being pulled. "But then ultimately, that's mixed with pride in this movie we've done. And also, who knows? Everything happens for a reason, and it is certainly possible that the crazy journey that this movie is taking will help get more eyes on it, because it's a story people know about a little bit. But I don't think we needed this crazy journey."
Coyote Vs. Acme is a family comedy starring the beloved characters of Warner Bros. classic Looney Tunes franchise. It centers on Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme corporation, which supplies all his weapons in his never ending battle to catch the Road Runner, over the continued backfiring and failure of their products.
"I remember when I first heard that Warner Bros. was shelving it, I had not yet seen the movie. I had been talking to people before and hearing about the test scores being really good, and then I was like, 'Oh, maybe it's not as good as they were telling me' when it got shelved," Forte continues. I got to see it. I love it. I was so proud of it. It was so maddening because it was this beautiful, special little movie that was something I would've been able to share with my kids."
Originally scheduled to release in summer 2023, Coyote Vs. Acme was completely finished when WB vaulted it in order to claim a $30 million tax write-off, to much public upset. WB refuse to allow any other studios to distribute it, until finally striking a deal in early 2025 with Ketchup Entertainment to release it.
Coyote Vs. Acme is now scheduled to release in theaters on August 28. For more, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies you need to know about.
