After spending more than two years trapped in Hollywood development hell, Coyote vs. Acme is finally moving toward theaters—and it is already taking aim at the studio that nearly buried it.
According to ComingSoon.net, Ketchup Entertainment released a short teaser for the long-delayed film, revealing that the first full trailer will arrive next week while also poking fun at Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to shelve the movie for a tax write-off.
Timed to coincide with Tax Day—April 15—the clip opens with Wile E. Coyote holding a sign reading “Happy Tax Day.” He then flips it around to reveal a second message: “Check Your Write-Offs.”
Seconds later, the cartoon icon crashes to the ground in classic Looney Tunes fashion.
The caption alongside the teaser doubles down on the joke: “Coyote vs. Acme has elected to file its trailer next week.”
The moment serves as a direct callback to Warner Bros.’ 2023 decision to scrap the completed film and claim a reported $30 million tax deduction instead of releasing it.
The reaction to that move was immediate. Coyote vs. Acme had already been completed, carrying a reported production budget of roughly $70 million and a cast led by Will Forte and John Cena.
The film was also backed by producer James Gunn, who had already become one of the most recognizable names in comic book movies.
Built as a live-action-and-animation hybrid in the spirit of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the project quickly became one of the most talked-about shelved films in recent memory.
Warner Bros. reversed course later in 2023 after widespread criticism from fans and filmmakers. Several creators publicly blasted the studio’s handling of the film, while others reportedly threatened to stop working with Warner Bros. if completed projects could be discarded that easily.
Based on Ian Frazier’s 1990 humor piece in The New Yorker, the movie follows Wile E. Coyote after one too many Acme gadgets explode in his face during his pursuit of the Road Runner.
According to the official synopsis, the frustrated Coyote hires a billboard attorney, played by Forte, to sue the Acme Corporation. “The case pits Wile E. and his lawyer against the latter’s intimidating former boss,” played by Cena, “but a growing friendship between man and cartoon stokes their determination to win.”
Lana Condor, P.J. Byrne, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, and Luis Guzmán also appear.
