UPDATE: Three streaming platforms are reportedly screening Coyote vs. Acme this week.
Coyote vs. Acme may have escaped being crushed by a tax write-off anvil. Last week, Warner Bros. Discovery gave the John Cena film the Batgirl treatment by shelving the movie even though it had completed filming. However, after a loud and swift backlash that labeled the studio as “anti-art,” WB Discovery may have backed down.
Coyote vs. Acme reportedly had other distributors interested in licensing the film, and according to Matthew Belloni at Puck, Warner Bros. is now willing to pursue that route after realizing that shelving would damage its relationships with the creatives involved. (At this point, we should probably note that DC Studios Chief James Gunn is a producer on Coyote vs. Acme and has a “Story By” credit on the film.)
Via Puck:
Warners declined to comment, but a good source tells me the decision was made this weekend by Warners film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, along with new animation head Bill Damaschke, after the online outcry by filmmakers and the animation community, as well as some heated back-and-forth between the studio and reps for the director and stars. Warners had agreed to pay the top talent their streaming bonuses despite the film being scrapped, but obviously, everyone involved in this project wants it to be released by someone.
Here’s where things get complicated: While Warner Bros. is reportedly shopping Coyote vs. Acme to other platforms, Puck reports that contrary to claims by director Dave Green, the film did not test well. WB Animation is working on a new strategy for Looney Tunes and “feared the brand damage of an underperforming film, especially on the heels of Space Jam: A New Legacy.”
In short, Coyote vs. Acme could still fall off a cliff.
(Via Puck)
