Will Forte addresses ‘Coyote vs Acme’ being axed: “It makes my blood boil”
Coyote vs Acme actor Will Forte has admitted that the unceremonious axing of the film made his “blood boil”.
In November 2023, it was announced that Warner Brothers had shelved the film a year after it had completed shooting. The live-action/CGI hybrid movie featuring Wile E Coyote and several other iconic Looney Tunes characters was greenlit as an HBO Max Original before moving to theatrical consideration.
However, in the wake of Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav cancelling Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt as a tax write-down to steady the ship of the debt-ridden conglomerate, a similar fate was bestowed upon Coyote vs Acme.
A Warner Bros Motion Picture Group spokesperson stated, “With the relaunch of Warner Bros Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases. 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.”
In February 2024, Forte – who played Wile E Coyote’s lawyer in the film – posted to X, “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. 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.”
The comedy star recently spoke to MovieWeb, though, and once again registered his disgust with how the film was shelved. “My thoughts were that it’s a fucking bullshit,” a disappointed Forte said. “It is such a delightful movie. It deserves so much better. I can’t tell you possibly why the decision was made to not release it, but it makes my blood boil, and thank you for asking me about it because I like talking about the movie.”
Forte added that he didn’t want people to forget the harsh treatment Warner Bros gave to a film so many artists worked so hard on. “I appreciate them letting us make it,” he reasoned, “but don’t let us make this thing that we fall in love with and then not show it. I mean, I would understand if the thing sucked, but it’s really good.”
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