Jeremy Slater says ‘Coyote vs Acme’ cancellation “felt really unjust”
Jeremy Slater, a screenwriter credited on the long-awaited Coyote vs Acme, has spoken with Far Out about the film’s lengthy journey to the screen.
For some context, Coyote vs Acme was put on the scrap heap as part of a money-saving exercise by Warner Bros in 2023 in order to cut costs on promoting the project.
Then, a fan backlash ensued, which led to Warner Bros agreeing to sell the movie to Ketchup Entertainment, who are releasing Coyote vs Acme in cinemas on August 28th, 2026.
Speaking to Far Out in an exclusive interview, Slater, who shares a story credit with James Gunn and Samy Burch on the upcoming film, discussed the ordeal.
First things first, Slater clarified that he had little involvement in the final product despite being listed with a major credit, explaining, “I’ve been very honest with everybody: I wrote a draft for James Gunn like 15 years ago, and then it sat on a shelf, and it was really rescued by (director) Dave Green and Sammy Burch.”
He admitted, “I still haven’t seen the film myself, but I don’t have any skin in the game in the sense that it’s not my script that they shot.”
Nevertheless, Slater was deeply saddened to see how the film was treated by Warner Bros and felt sorry for those who had worked incredibly hard on the movie, only for it to be pulled from the release schedule.
Slater shared, “At the end of the day, not having that finished product to show your family and friends to say, ‘Here’s what mom or dad has been working on for the last two years’ is heartbreaking. My heart just went out to every single person in that production.”
The screenwriter believes “the whole thing felt really unjust,” and Coyote vs Acme making it to cinemas “feels like the best possible ending for a story that could have had a really dark, really unsatisfying ending.”
Meanwhile, Slater’s latest project, Mortal Kombat II, recently arrived in cinemas earlier this month, which was an easy job to accept, sharing with Far Out, “It’s very easy to say yes to a job like Mortal Kombat II, especially when you are a child of the ’90s who grew up with the arcade machines and the Sega Genesis game and the ’95 movie and the soundtrack and all those things that were a really important part of my childhood.’
However, Slater didn’t take it lightly either, noting how “the most important thing in the world to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of fans out there who live, eat, breathe and sleep Mortal Kombat.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.