Coyote vs. Acme Was Shelved by Warner Bros. and Called the Best Looney Tunes Movie Ever — Now It Finally Hits Theaters August 28

Warner Bros. shelved Coyote vs. Acme in 2023, wrote it off as a tax loss, and buried it alongside Batgirl. Three years later, critics are calling it the best Looney Tunes movie ever made — and the best live-action/animation hybrid since Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

The long-delayed comedy finally hits theaters on August 28, 2026, thanks to indie studio Ketchup Entertainment, which rescued the film for a reported $50 million after Warner Bros. Discovery tried to sell it for $75–80 million with no takers.

The Road to Theaters Was Longer Than Wile E. Coyote's Fail List

The film's origin traces back to a 1990 New Yorker article by humorist Ian Frazier — a mock court filing in which Wile E. Coyote sues the Acme Corporation for the defective products that have ruined his life trying to catch the Road Runner.

James Gunn first pitched the idea for a film adaptation to Warner Bros. in 2015. It was greenlit in 2018 and finally began production in 2022 under director Dave Green (Earth to Echo), with a script by Oscar nominee Samy Burch (May December). The film wrapped and completed post-production before Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav axed it in November 2023 as part of the studio's cost-cutting spree.

The backlash was immediate. Stars Will Forte and voice actor Eric Bauza publicly condemned the decision. Fans rallied. The controversy was so intense that Warner reversed course and put the film up for sale — only to let it gather dust for over a year.

Why Critics Are Losing Their Minds

When early reviews dropped, they were overwhelmingly positive:

• Deadline called it "the best Warner Bros film released so far this year" and "the best animated/live action hybrid since Robert Zemeckis' classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
• Polygon declared it "the best Looney Tunes movie and the best comedy of 2026."
• Roger Ebert wrote that the film "understands that you can be both gloriously silly and remarkably smart at the same time."

The cast is stacked: Will Forte stars alongside Lana Condor, John Cena, Luis Guzmán, Tone Bell, P.J. Byrne, and Martha Kelly. The screenplay blends live-action with classic Looney Tunes animation, taking Wile E. Coyote to court against the heartless Acme Corporation in a story that's equal parts slapstick and genuine heart.

What This Means for the Looney Tunes Franchise

Coyote vs. Acme arrives on the heels of The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, also distributed by Ketchup Entertainment. Together, these two films signal that the Looney Tunes brand still has massive theatrical potential — even if Warner Bros. couldn't see it.

For millennials who grew up watching Wile E. Coyote's elaborate traps backfire on Saturday mornings, this is the movie you've been waiting for. And it almost didn't happen.

Coyote vs. Acme opens in theaters on August 28, 2026. Tickets are available now.

Sources: Deadline, Polygon, Roger Ebert, The New Yorker, Reuters