Since Warner Bros. became Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022, the entertainment company has shocked many with its decision to put films that had already been completely shot on hold in order to be able to deduct them from taxes. Batgirl and the second Chocolate! Films were the first to goThe The company also decided Coyote vs Acme in November. John Cena, one of the stars, has now expressed his thoughts on the decision.
Coyote vs Acme had a funny premise. The live-action Looney Tunes In this film, Wile E. Coyote decides to file a lawsuit against the Acme Corporation after every product he uses from the company famously proves to be his undoing. In addition to Cena, Will Forte, Lana Condor and longtime Looney Tunes voice actor Eric Bauza also starred in multiple roles. Check out Cena’s thoughts on this decision:
There’s a lot. And everyone has a different perspective. We don’t own the film. That’s the hard thing about this business. You feel like you own it because you put your heart and soul into it. And (director) Dave Green and everyone involved together made a film that we thought was good.
After Warner Bros. made the decision, the studio was faced with fierce reactions. It doesn’t help that One author called the film “great”, and said that “there has not been anything like this since “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” Coyote vs. Acme based on a story by James Gunn (you know the guy who Guardians of the Galaxy Movies) along with Jeremy Slater and Samy Burch. We are so curious if there was something wrong with this or if this was purely a business decision to put more money in Warner Bros. Discovery’s pocket.
After the backlash, the studio decided to take a step back and offer the film to other studiosHowever, Warner Bros. reportedly turned down several offers from Netflix, Amazon and Paramount when they did not get the $75 to $80 million they demanded. The studio is reportedly receiving a $30 million tax break for shelving the film. Cena also said this in a conversation with The Wrap to Coyote vs Acme:
I would have loved to give it a chance. But I’m only one person. And if it was shelved, I would have to think that it was shelved for the right reasons and that it was a good business decision. I think I would be very regretful and ashamed if I looked back on the legacy of the film and it was shelved for other reasons. So I have to believe in the process. And I love the film, I’m all about it, but it’s someone else’s project and they can do what they want with it and they chose accordingly.
It can’t be a good feeling to spend time on a project like this Coyote vs Acme only to never see the light of day. John Cena shared that he would like to believe it was scrapped for “the right reasons” to maintain his faith in the process. Cena’s name alone, not to mention the Looney Tunes legacy, there doesn’t seem to be a world where a lot of people wouldn’t have tuned in Coyote vs Acme. It sounds like Cena had a lot of fun working on the film, but it’s a shame he can’t share that joy with the audience.
So Coyote vs Acme is not under 2024 Moviesbut Looney Tunes fans can at least look forward to The Day the Earth Exploded: A Looney Tunes Moviewhich is expected to be released later this year.
