Credit: ITMHollywood superstar and WWE legend, John Cena, seemed to have a lot in common with fellow icons, the Looney Tunes. While John Cena had a wrestling rival with CM Punk and an action movie rivalry with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the whacky, yet loveable characters of Warner Bros. Animation frequently went toe-to-toe with a mouse named Mickey. The alliance of the two brands was supposed to be as epic as the original Space Jam, but the pre-strike finished project as recently been canceled indefinitely.
Coyote vs. Acme was going to be a live-action and animated hybrid Max original spinoff film centered around John Cena and the classic underdog, Wile E. Coyote. The movie wrapped principal production in New Mexico in 2022, but was halted due to the Warner Bros. Discovery company merger and later, the writers and actors strikes. Once executives “cleaned house” with new management, it was decided that the film would no longer be scheduled for distribution by the studio.
This action comes after Warner Animation Group was taken over by seasoned animation executive Bill Damaschke earlier this year. He informed both Cena and the film’s director, Dave Green, known for Earth to Echo and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows about the removal.
Green lamented on social media by stating, “For three years, I was lucky enough to make a movie about Wile E. Coyote, the most persistent, passionate, and resilient character of all time,” the filmmaker continued, “I was surrounded by a brilliant team, who poured their souls into this project. … Along the ride, we were embraced by test audiences who rewarded us with fantastic scores.”
The film was estimated to have cost about $72 million to make before post-production and marketing. Despite the setback, Warner Bros. intends to continue working with Dave Green on a new project with sister company, New Line Cinema.
A Warner Bros. spokesperson justified the cancelation by stating that, “With the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases.” They finished, “With this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with Coyote vs Acme. We have tremendous respect for the filmmakers, casts, and crew, and are grateful for their contributions to the film.”
In December 2020, the original executive team gave the film the go-ahead to be produced for HBO Max, which was still in its infancy as a streaming service. Its release date was then pushed to July 21, 2023, but the lack of a movie trailer closer to the date raised concerns about the studio’s plans for the production. Warner Bros. eventually took the film out of its theatrical schedule in April 2022, to focus more on the impending blockbuster, Barbie.
Warner Bros. Animation new business model is to release two movies a year, with its next projects called Bad Fairies and The Lunar Chronicles. A number of Dr. Seuss adaptations are also in the works, including an animated musical version of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! and a less terrifying reimagining of the Cat in the Hat. The company plans to produce both original films and films based on its intellectual property (IP), which includes the Looney Tunes cartoon series, like the incomparable Wile E. Coyote.
Even though Warner Bros. claimed the decision was made solely because they wanted to focus on theatrically released quality projects, fans and critics have speculated otherwise. The studio also cancelled the sequel to the hit animated film Scoob!, as well as the notorious Batgirl project. Their cancelations were submitted as a tax write-off, which saved Warner Bros. $40 million with the Scoob! follow-up and $90 million with Batgirl. John Cena’s Coyote vs. ACME will also be entered as a write-off, saving the company an additional $30 million.
CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, is looking to save $3 billion across the newly formed media giant. While film studios are argued to be a business first, the creative community has been outraged by Warner Bros. decision to cancel the diligent, collaborative efforts of so many cast and crew with these projects. Sources say that the studio, in this case, at least gave the talent and creative team advance notice of the decision.
Director, Dave Green concluded: “I am beyond proud of the final product, and beyond devastated by WB’s decision. But in the spirit of Wile E. Coyote, resilience and persistence win the day.”
What do you think of Warner Bros. canceling another finished project just to save money?