Coyote Vs. ACME Release Date, Characters, And Plot - What We Know So Far

The Looney Tunes have always had a fair amount of success whenever they've delved into a live-action medium. The cartoons made waves in the 1990s with "Space Jam," followed swiftly by "Looney Tunes: Back in Action." Of course, in 2021, the Tunes went back into charted territory to deliver "Space Jam: A New Legacy," and fortunately for fans of the precocious characters, it won't be the last time they get a glimpse of the real world. 

A live-action/animated hybrid movie is on the way titled "Coyote vs. ACME," and it promises to be unlike any Looney Tunes project we've gotten before. Rather than centering primarily on the likes of Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck, this movie will place Wile E. Coyote front and center as he embarks on a lawsuit against the corporation he's synonymous with — ACME. With one of the best comedic talents working today now at the helm as well as a release date officially confirmed, here's everything we know so far about "Coyote vs. ACME."

The "Coyote vs. ACME" movie has been in the works for a while now. Variety initially reported on the project back in August 2018, and three and a half years later, the movie has undergone some significant changes. For starters, siblings Jon and Josh Silberman were originally brought on to write the screenplay. According to a February 2022 report by Deadline, Samy Burch is credited with writing the script. 

With a screenplay finished and all of the other essential components falling into place, the film seems on track to meet its current release date projection of July 21, 2023. There's no word yet on what the release strategy will entail and whether it will debut exclusively in theaters or have a dual release with theaters and HBO Max. However, families should get ready to see the next zany adventure of Wile E. Coyote in the summer of 2023, regardless of where the film lands.

Audiences should anticipate Looney Tunes mainstays Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner to factor into the plot of "Coyote vs. ACME." However, the cartoons are only ever part of the equation when it comes to these Warner Bros. hybrid films. Thanks to Deadline, we now know the first live-action star to make their way onto the project, and it's none other than "Peacemaker" star John Cena.

Cena has been on a roll with Warner Bros. as of late. He starred in the 2021 DC superhero flick "The Suicide Squad" before spinning off into his own HBO Max series based on the Peacemaker character he played in the movie. It looks like Cena will stay in the family a little bit longer to appear in "Coyote vs. ACME," where he'll reportedly play the "intimidating former boss" of the lawyer Wile E. Coyote hires. It sounds like a part ripe for comedic potential, and Cena has more than proven his ability to maneuver around a joke.

"Coyote vs. ACME" will draw inspiration from the New Yorker article of the same name written by Ian Frazier in 1990. The fictional piece discussed a lawsuit initiated by Wile E. Coyote against the ACME Company, which has provided him with various tools he's used over the years to try to catch Roadrunner. Naturally, as depicted frequently in the cartoon, these devices have a habit of blowing up in Wile E.'s face, so it's only natural he would attempt to get some kind of compensation for his years of pain and suffering. 

Deadline describes how the movie will show Wile E. hiring a billboard lawyer to go up against the ACME Corporation. As they try the case, a budding friendship begins to form between coyote and attorney. 

Chris DeFaria and James Gunn, who worked with John Cena on both "The Suicide Squad" and "Peacemaker," will produce the film. Stay tuned for more developments on this project as they become available.