Summary

Ketchup Entertainment saves Coyote vs. Acme movie by acquiring rights from Warner Bros.
Film faced troubled development and was initially shelved despite positive test screenings.
Highly anticipated live-action/animated hybrid film will finally get a theatrical release in 2026.

In a positive step for the animation industry, the previously shelved Coyote vs Acme movie is officially saved, following the acquisition of the worldwide rights from Warner Bros. Pictures by Ketchup Entertainment. The American independent film production and distribution company - who previously distributed The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie in 2025 - officially confirmed that the highly anticipated film will indeed be getting a theatrical release sometime in 2026.

Fans of the Looney Tunes franchise have certainly had to wait a long time to discover the fate of the live-action/animated hybrid film, following a particularly troubled development. The animated feature was originally slated for a straight-to-streaming release on HBO Max in 2023. But, along with the star-studded live-action Batgirl from directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, Coyote vs Acme was one of the biggest casualties from Warner Bros. Famed cost-cutting tax write-off two years ago, despite positive test screenings.

Warner Bros. Discovery Is Going Even Further After Taking The Looney Tunes Off Max

Warner Bros. Seems to have it out for one of its most prized IPs, and the company has now found a tangible target for its anti-Looney Tunes agenda.

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By Ademilade Shodipe-Dosunmu

Warner Bros.' Canceled Coyote vs. Acme Movie Has Been Saved By A Familiar Studio

News of the $70 million film’s cancelation garnered significant attention on social media, with many fans, individuals who worked on the film and members of the industry - including The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse director Phil Lord - actively speaking out against the shelving of the project. Campaigns also began for the studio to sell the rights to the film, using the hashtags #SaveCoyoteVsAcme and #ReleaseCoyoteVsAcme.

Thankfully, the studio allowed director Dave Green to screen the previously shelved animated film to other prospective buyers back in early 2024, with Deadline reporting negotiations between Ketchup Entertainment and Warner Bros. In the $50 million range were underway back in mid-March 2025.

Ketchup Animation is undoubtedly a great fit for the ill-fated project, having recently secured the North American theatrical distribution rights for The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, the first-ever fully animated Looney Tunes feature-length movie created for the big screen. Originally set to be released on HBO Max and Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. Discovery instead shopped it around to other streaming services, with the film seemingly destined for a similar fate as Coyote vs. Acme. However, since being picked up for a full theatrical release, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie has received both fan and critical praise, sitting at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the animated film is unfortunately yet to make its $15 million back, reaching a worldwide total of $10.5 million at the end of March 2025.

Hopefully the praise for The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie from fans, coupled with the successful acquisition from Ketchup Entertainment for Coyote vs. Acme, helps to spark a positive change in the way that the beloved franchise is currently maintained at the film studio. Whether the live-action/animated hybrid film will be a box-office hit is yet to be seen, but hopefully cinema-going audiences will show support for the highly anticipated film when it finally hits the big screen in 2026.

The live-action/animated hybrid will finally bring the iconic Looney Tunes character, Wile E. Coyote, to the big screen, as he takes legal action against the Acme Corporation for the countless faulty products that have hindered his relentless pursuit of the Road Runner. Based on the New Yorker article by Ian Frazier (1990), Wile E. Coyote and his lawyer (Will Forte) go up against the lawyer’s intimidating boss (John Cena) — but their growing, unlikely friendship across species and cartoon lines spurs them on.

Coyote vs Acme is directed by Dave Green (TMNT: Out of the Shadows), produced by Chris de Maria and DC Studios co-boss James Gunn and stars John Cena, Lana Condor, Will Forte and Tone Bell.

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