Coyote vs. Acme Image Gives Us Our First Look at the Shelved Movie

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The first image of Coyote vs. Acme, the movie starring John Cena that finished filming but was shelved by Warner Bros. for an estimated $30 million tax write-off, has been revealed by Wile E. Coyote voice actor Eric Bauza.

Bauza took to X/Twitter to share the image, and it features Wile E. Coyote sitting in court next to his lawyer, who is played by Will Forte. Alongside the image, Bauza added, “See ya in 2024!!”

See ya in 2024!! 🦊🪧🧲🧨💣💥 #CoyoteVsACME pic.twitter.com/5jaGQyLdiJ

— Eric Bauza (@bauzilla) December 31, 2023

Coyote vs. Acme, which sees Wile E. Coyote starting a legal battle with the ACME company after he fails once again to catch the Road Runner, is a live-action CG hybrid film that was greenlit as an original for HBO Max (now called Max). It was set to be released on July 21, 2023, but that plan changed.

“With the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases,” reads the statement from a WB Motion Picture Group spokesperson. “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.”

The internet at large was unsurprisingly upset after this news broke, especially after a similar thing happened to Batgirl and that filmmakers were praising the film, saying things like it was the “best of its kind since Roger Rabbit.”

Fortunately, Warner Bros. Discovery has given the filmmakers behind Coyote vs. Acme the greenlight to shop it to other studios.

For more, check out why Warner Bros. CEO claimed scrapping films like Coyote vs. Acme and Batgirl “took real courage,” how a congressmean called for the FTC to review Warner Bros. for scrapping these films, and a look at some of the biggest movies headed our way in 2024.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.