FILM · 2026 · USA
Coyote vs. Acme
- Directed by
- Dave Green
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Studio
- Troll Court Entertainment, Keylight Pictures, Warner Animation Group
66 archived facts 6 topics 3 sources Last reviewed Oct 2026
After Acme products fail him one too many times in his dogged pursuit of the Roadrunner, Wile E. Coyote decides to hire a billboard lawyer to sue the Acme Corporation.
Summary: TMDB
All facts (66)
- #001
Coyote vs. Acme is loosely adapted from Ian Frazier's article "Coyote v. Acme," published in The New Yorker in 1990; the article itself draws on elements of the Looney Tunes cartoons.
- #002
Scott Rudin Productions acquired the rights to Frazier's article in 1998 but could not obtain Warner Bros.' permission to film it, and the options lapsed in 2006.
- #003
Development began in August 2018 with Chris McKay producing and a screenplay by Jon and Josh Silberman; Dave Green was hired as director in December 2019. Samy Burch, Jeremy Slater and James Gunn joined the script development process in 2020, while John Cena, Will Forte and Lana Condor were added to the cast in early 2022.
- #004
James Gunn successfully pitched Coyote vs. Acme to Warner in 2015, and asked Jeremy Slater to write the first draft because of their friendship, which included growing up with Looney Tunes.
- #005
Live-action shooting took place in New Mexico between March and May 2022.
- #006
In November 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery shelved the film for a tax write-off; after public backlash the decision was reversed and the producers were allowed to seek another distributor. Following unsuccessful talks with various distributors, Ketchup Entertainment bought the rights to the film for $50 million in March 2025; the company had previously struck a similar deal for Warner Bros. Animation's The Day the Earth Blew Up (2024).
- #007
Warner Bros. Pictures announced in August 2018 that it was developing a Wile E. Coyote project titled Coyote vs. Acme, with Chris McKay as producer and Jon and Josh Silberman writing the script.
- #008
The film was screened at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, 2026, and was released in the United States on August 28, 2026.
- #009
In mid-December 2019, Warner Animation Group hired Dave Green to direct Coyote vs. Acme, a live-action/animated hybrid, and replaced Jon and Josh Silberman as screenwriters while keeping them as producers.
- #010
The name of the lawyer Kevin Avery, played by Will Forte, comes from Looney Tunes animator Tex Avery.
- #011
Chris McKay left Coyote vs. Acme in December 2020, and the Silbermans stepped down as producers to return to screenwriting alongside Samy Burch, Slater and Gunn.
- #012
Buddy Crane, the Acme lawyer played by John Cena, was conceived as Kevin's rival at Harvard Law School and takes his name from Buddy, one of the original Looney Tunes characters.
- #013
Coyote vs. Acme's final writing credits, issued in March 2023, gave Samy Burch sole screenplay credit and a shared story credit with Slater and Gunn, with additional literary credit to Alex Cuthbertson, Jacob Fleisher, Matt Fusfeld, Dan Goor, BenDavid Grabinski, Craig Wright and Jon and Josh Silberman.
- #014
Eric Bauza leads the voice cast, which includes Foghorn Leghorn, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tweety, Road Runner and Dr. Lorre.
- #015
Coyote vs. Acme was confirmed in November 2022 to feature Foghorn Leghorn, Granny, Sylvester the Cat and Tweety.
- #016
The law firm of Avery, Jones and Maltese is a tribute to Warner Bros. animators Tex Avery, Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese.
- #017
Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam were confirmed for Coyote vs. Acme in December 2022.
- #018
The screenplay was inspired by Ian Frazier's article titled Coyote V. Acme, published in The New Yorker in 1990.
- #019
Porky Pig was confirmed to appear in Coyote vs. Acme in January 2023.
- #020
Many of the outdoor scenes in Coyote vs. Acme were shot in New Mexico. The Greater Roadrunner, Coyote's long-time rival, is also the state bird of New Mexico.
- #021
Editor Carsten Kurpanek characterized the story of Coyote vs. Acme as a "David vs. Goliath story" about Wile E. Coyote's persistence against the Acme Corporation's "cynical and casual cruelness of capitalism and corporate greed."
- #022
The third film was shelved during the period when David Zaslav was CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery for a tax write-off. The first films shelved toward the end of post-production in August 2022 were Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt. Unlike the previous two, however, the rights to this film were successfully sold to an alternative distributor.
- #023
Dave Green said his first approach to Coyote vs. Acme was to blend a true-crime documentary with a legal drama. He named The Insider (1999), Erin Brockovich (2000) and A Few Good Men (1992) as influences on that approach.
- #024
Dr. Lorre's character is based on real-life film star Peter Lorre (1904-1964). Lorre first became famous for his role as a child murderer in Fritz Lang's German Expressionist film M (1931). After fleeing Hitler's Europe, he eventually settled in Hollywood, where (because of his distinctive appearance and unusual accent) he took on cunning, menacing, sinister roles, often playing criminals, murderers and mad scientists. His most famous roles were the shady underworld figure Joel Cairo in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and the doomed Ugarte in Casablanca (1942), both for Warner Brothers. Because his appearance and voice were so easy to recognize and imitate, Warner Brothers cartoons began to include Lorre impersonations as well — first in "Hollywood Steps Out" (1941), a 1941 Merrie Melodies short depicting comedic versions of many Warner Brothers stars of the time, as "himself." Later, in the 1940s, a caricature of Lorre began appearing in Warner cartoons, usually as the scientist/mad doctor character. In his book The Animated Peter Lorre, animation historian Matthew Hahn catalogued more than 700 examples of Lorre tributes in animation throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first.
- #025
The first trailer received 25 million online views in its first 24 hours.
- #026
Dave Green said the tone of Ian Frazier's original article was central to adapting Coyote vs. Acme, because it discussed Acme's product liability in the language of a legal filing. That tone let the filmmakers pair serious legal conventions with Looney Tunes physical comedy.
- #027
On November 9, 2023, a Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group spokesperson announced that the film had been cancelled after shooting was completed: "We have made the difficult decision not to move forward with 'Coyote vs. Acme.' We have great respect for the filmmakers, cast and crew, and appreciate their contributions." Director Dave Green responded on Twitter: "For three years I got to make a movie about Wile E. Coyote, the most stubborn, passionate and resilient character there is. I worked with an incredible team that poured their hearts into this project for years. We aimed to honor these iconic characters and to get everything right. Test audiences supported us with perfect feedback. I am extremely proud of the final film and am deeply disappointed by WB's decision. But in keeping with the spirit of Wile E. Coyote, resilience and determination prevail." The cast and crew attended a "funeral screening" similar to that of Batgirl. Four days later, on November 13, 2023, Warner Bros. announced that it had reversed its decision and would allow the film to be distributed through other channels. As of March 2025, Ketchup Entertainment had acquired worldwide distribution rights.
- #028
John Cena was cast in Coyote vs. Acme in February 2022 as the film's secondary antagonist, a lawyer defending Acme and the former boss of Wile E.'s lawyer.
- #029
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was condemned by the gods to roll a great boulder up a hill forever, only to see it roll back down each time he neared the top. The story gave rise to the adjective "Sisyphean," describing a repeated and seemingly doomed task. The myth also inspired Albert Camus's 1942 philosophical essay "The Myth of Sisyphus," in which Camus argues that the struggle itself can give life meaning and concludes: "The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart." Both the myth and Camus's interpretation are reflected in this film's portrayal of Wile E. Coyote, whose relentless pursuit repeatedly ends in failure and only drives him to keep chasing. The connection is made explicit by Project Sisyphus, the name of the secret Acme project uncovered by Kevin and Paige, and by one of the film's main posters, which shows Wile E. Coyote pushing a giant bomb down a steep hill toward the Road Runner.
- #030
Principal photography on Coyote vs. Acme ran from March to May 2022 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Brandon Trost as cinematographer.
- #031
During the congressional hearing, Kevin cites the case of "Sylvester vs. Gonzales" as a precedent. This refers to Sylvester the cat and Speedy Gonzales, another pair of Looney Tunes characters in which the predator always comically fails to catch his prey.
- #032
Coyote vs. Acme's creative team cited Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) as a reference for blending live action with animated characters.
- #033
The filming location for the law office of Avery, Jones and Malta is across the street from the A1A Car Wash filming location from Breaking Bad.
- #034
David Barclay constructed a life-size Wile E. Coyote puppet so that actors on Coyote vs. Acme could interact with it.
- #035
Because Foghorn Leghorn is one of the plaintiffs, the congressional hearing appropriately takes place in the United States Senate. Foghorn Leghorn is a parody of Senator Claghorn, a fictional character from the old Fred Allen radio program.
- #036
Dave Green named the metal-detector sequence, filmed on the second day of shooting, as the hardest he had to direct on Coyote vs. Acme, requiring roughly a few dozen background actors to find the eyeline of an invisible character; he still called it his favorite.
- #037
Originally the Acme whistleblower was to be Dr. Peter Lorre, who would be revealed to have escaped from Acme paint prison. However, during post-production it was decided to cast Bugs Bunny as the whistleblower. Because his inclusion was decided late in production, Bugs was among several characters animated in traditional 2D animation (rather than cel-shaded CGI animation) to save time.
- #038
DNEG handled visual effects and computer animation for Wile E. Coyote and other major Looney Tunes characters in Coyote vs. Acme.
- #039
As Kevin Avery (Will Forte) sits in his hotel room, a reporter on television announces that a mouse in Guadalajara has broken the sound barrier. This is a reference to Speedy Gonzales, the fastest mouse in Mexico and a Looney Tunes character.
- #040
According to director Dave Green, the film's 3D animators collaborated closely with 2D artists, who supplied drawn poses and expressions to help them find what he called the building blocks of performance.
- #041
Early in the film, while waiting in Avery's office, Wile E. Coyote is seen reading The New Yorker. The cover is not from the February 19, 1990 issue that contained the Ian Frazier humor piece that inspired this film (that issue's cover was a cartoon of Washington and Lincoln on a cake celebrating Presidents' Day). Instead, the issue Wile reads features Eustace Tilley, the character who has been a symbol of The New Yorker since his cartoon depiction appeared on the magazine's first cover on February 21, 1925; a version of Eustace has appeared on the cover for the magazine's anniversary almost every year (in 1990, the Eustace cover ran on February 26).
- #042
Editor Carsten Kurpanek said artists first made black-and-white line drawings of key poses over a rough edit, which then served as reference for visual effects and animation in a process the crew called "sketchviz."
- #043
When Avery checks into the Prickly Pear motel, the clerk points to a sign reading "No Pets Allowed" with a picture of Droopy Dog on it. Droopy Dog is a major classic cartoon character from MGM and never appeared in any Looney Tunes short. Fred 'Tex' Avery left Warner Bros. to work at MGM. Droopy was one of many characters Tex created while at MGM.
- #044
Duncan Studio provided traditional animation for a handful of shots featuring significant Looney Tunes characters, and some characters were handled entirely in 2D; Bugs Bunny was one of them because he was not originally planned for the film, with the Acme whistleblower first scripted as an escaped Dr. Lorre.
- #045
The film was originally to be a CG/live-action hybrid, with Steve Carell said to be playing the Acme CEO.
- #046
Steven Price announced that he composed the score for Coyote vs. Acme following the announcement of the film's initial cancellation.
- #047
This third Looney Tunes film will not be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, following Bugs Bunny Superstar (1975) and The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2024).
- #048
Unlike the previous live-action/animated Looney Tunes feature films Space Jam (1996), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) and Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021), this is the first live-action/animated Looney Tunes feature film to contain no post-credits scene after the final title sequence.
- #049
The soundtrack for Coyote vs. Acme was released digitally through WaterTower Music on August 21, 2026, one week ahead of the film's release.
- #050
A physical vinyl edition of the Coyote vs. Acme soundtrack is planned for the first quarter of 2027 via iam8bit and WaterTower Music.
- #051
The main character, Wile E. Coyote, does not speak a single word throughout the film; he communicates using written signs, drawings and visual devices.
- #052
Coyote vs. Acme featured the DJ Shadow and Run the Jewels song "Nobody Speak."
- #053
Some promotional materials refer to the human role that Mr. Coyote co-stars in as "Will E. Coyote."
- #054
Critics examined how Coyote vs. Acme portrays corporate power and consumer culture, drawing connections to the film's own attempted shelving. Catherine Wheatley of Sight and Sound wrote that Wile E. Coyote is a "high usage user" of Acme products, stuck in a loop of buying goods that keep failing him.
- #055
The film, originally set for release on July 21, 2023, had its slot taken by Barbie (2023), which also stars John Cena, on April 26, 2022.
- #056
Catherine Wheatley of Sight and Sound called Kevin Avery's fight against Acme "Capra-esque," likening him to a modern James Stewart and pointing to parallels with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It Happened One Night (1934).
- #057
It is the last film to be released under the Warner Animation Group label before the studio's brand name was changed to Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in 2023.
- #058
Catherine Wheatley characterized Coyote vs. Acme as a family film that also works as political satire, incorporating courtroom drama and 1970s conspiracy thriller elements.
- #059
Justin Chang of The New Yorker drew a parallel between Coyote vs. Acme's story of an underdog facing a powerful corporation and the film's own history at Warner Bros. Discovery, calling the premise a metaphor for the circumstances of its attempted shelving.
- #060
John Cena's character is seen writing twice, once with his left hand and once with his right. This is likely an error caused by a hand double, though it could also mean he is ambidextrous.
- #061
Chang highlighted Wile E.'s persistence despite repeated failure, pointing out that the Coyote vs. Acme screenplay mentions Sisyphus more than once.
- #062
It reunites P. J. Byrne and Kenneth Choi, who had appeared together in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).
- #063
British litigator David Allen Green described Coyote vs. Acme as a good, even great, film about commercial law.
- #064
An earlier fictional lawsuit titled "Coyote Vs Acme" first appeared in the 64th single event of the first season of Tiny Toon Adventures, in the episode titled "K-ACME TV," broadcast on February 26, 1991. In that episode, Calamity Coyote sued the Acme Corporation, represented by a cigar-chewing mouse named Bobo Acme/Bobbo Acme, over a faulty ACME catapult. The ruling was handed down in favor of the company by Judge Yosemite Sam, who presided over a biased courtroom owned by Acme, after showing that Calamity had used the catapult improperly rather than it being defective.
- #065
According to David Allen Green, Coyote vs. Acme realistically depicts lawyers' efforts to reach a settlement, the significance of evidence discovery and what motivates the parties.
- #066
The name of Luis Guzmán's character, Troppogrosso, means "too big" in Italian.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Wikipedia (EN)
- Wikipedia Coyote vs. Acme — Wikipedia
- IMDb IMDb kaydı
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