Coyote Vs. Acme - How Can A Studio Delete A Movie? What We Know So Far
Following films like "Space Jam" and "Looney Tunes: Back in Action," Warner Bros. Discovery appeared poised to once again deliver a mix of animated and live-action antics with "Coyote vs. Acme." The Will Forte and John Cena starring film would have put the spotlight on Wile E. Coyote as he pursued legal action against the Acme Corporation after being harmed by their faulty products for years. However, despite the fact that the movie is complete, the studio has reportedly elected to delete it altogether.
A recent report by TheWrap details the months-long drama over the impending scrapping of "Coyote vs. Acme." Rumblings surfaced in November 2023 that the film was on the chopping block, allegedly because WBD didn't see the movie fitting in with its push to prioritize theatrical efforts over streaming. But after backlash, it was reported that WBD was considering selling the film to another distributor. Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount quite liked the finished product and promptly made offers for the film. Unfortunately, with WBD adamant about making at least between $75 and $80 million on the project, their offers were rejected and negotiations fell through.
Thus, "Coyote vs. Acme" — a finished movie that's entirely screenable, impressed numerous industry heads, and has had fans passionately campaigning online for its release – will apparently be deleted in favor of a $35 to $40 million tax write-down for WBD. Sadly, this isn't the first time the studio has treated a completed production this way.
Coyote vs. Acme isn't the only film Warner Bros. Discovery has done away with as of late
In the wake of the apparent death of "Coyote vs. Acme," Twitter is incredibly furious at Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav – who reportedly didn't even watch the movie — over the call. Sadly, it seems likely that this pushback will be ignored. After all, the folks at WBD have weathered the storm of fan outrage time and time again, even ignoring fans as they pleaded for other doomed features to see the light of day. Not long before WBD chose to scrap "Coyote vs. Acme," "Scoob! Holiday Haunt" and "Batgirl" suffered similar fates, seemingly for some of the same reasons.
Much like "Coyote vs. Acme," "Scoob! Holiday Haunt" and "Batgirl" were both reportedly at the finish line when WBD pulled the plug on them. According to Variety, both features were left unreleased due to tax reasons, with WBD choosing to simply get rid of the projects rather than give them a chance in theaters or on the Max streaming service.
Regardless of the quality of these features, it's disappointing that all three of them are unlikely to ever see the light of day. The cast and crew of each project worked hard, and the results of their labor should be shared with the world rather than be destroyed or locked away due to corporate decision-making.