The Coyote vs. Acme release date is almost here — 27 August in UAE cinemas, 28 August worldwide — and John Cena has explained why the film’s shelving by Warner Bros. never devastated him.
The live-action and animation hybrid, in which Wile E. Coyote finally takes Acme Corporation to court, was shelved in November 2023 for a $30 million tax write-off during the Warner Bros. Discovery merger — the same wave that cancelled Batgirl, which J.K. Simmons has since discussed. Fan outcry followed, and Ketchup Entertainment eventually bought the finished film in a deal reported at around $50 million. The first trailer finally landed in April, years after the film was completed.
Why the shelving didn’t devastate John Cena
IGN asked the cast at Comic-Con what they would have been sorry to lose if the film never surfaced. Will Forte wanted to watch it with his children. Cena’s answer was the opposite.
“I’m not sure I look at it like that. Rather than look at any experience of life like, ‘if only,’ I was very grateful to have worked with these two, to have been directed to become a better performer, to make friends along the way. I just choose not to look at it like that. Because all that stuff, all that kerfuffle is so far beyond my reach and control.”
John Cena, speaking at Comic-Con, via IGN
He made the same point to Entertainment Weekly, reported by Deadline: the film was a job, and the job was done.
“I don’t own my performance. I’m contracted to do a job, and the person who owns it gets to decide what happens with it.”
John Cena, in Entertainment Weekly
“Keep in mind, it is the movie business,” he added. “Sometimes, business decisions are things that we don’t see through the same lens.”
While Dave Green said “I think what we hope to do is carry the torch and carry the flame for these characters the best we can,” director added. “Because we are just temporary custodians of this historic, legacy IP. It’s just an honor to be able to play in that sandbox at all. I was kind of feeling like, ‘It’s too bad that kids won’t be able to grow up on a new iteration of Looney Tunes that hopefully carries that legacy tone and voice.’ But hey, we’re sitting here with you today. It worked out.”
The film arrives with unusually strong notices: a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 9/10 from IGN’s Clint Gage, who called it “an amazingly meta answer to corporate shenanigans.” James Gunn, who pitched the project more than a decade ago and brought Cena in, co-wrote the story.
Coyote vs. Acme release date
Coyote vs. Acme opens in UAE cinemas from 27 August, with VOX Cinemas confirming screenings a day ahead of the film’s worldwide release on 28 August.
Is Coyote vs. Acme based on a true story?
No. The film is based on “Coyote v. Acme”, a 1990 satire by Ian Frazier published in The New Yorker, which imagined Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation over the products that have failed him for decades.
Who is in the Coyote vs. Acme cast?
John Cena, Will Forte, Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly and Luis Guzmán, alongside the classic Looney Tunes characters. Dave Green directs from a screenplay by Samy Burch; James Gunn co-wrote the story and produces.
What is Coyote vs. Acme about?
After decades of failed attempts to catch the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote hires lawyer Kevin Avery, played by Will Forte, to sue the Acme Corporation over its faulty products. It is a live-action and animation hybrid.
