Once threatened with deletion at Warner Bros, the comedy Coyote Vs Acme now has a trailer ahead of its release this summer. Update: The footage you are about to see should not exist. As part of its attempt to tranches of cash via a tax write-off, Warner Bros was meant to have completely erased the ... Coyote Vs Acme | ‘Deleted’ film now has a trailer ahead of its August release
Once threatened with deletion at Warner Bros, the comedy Coyote Vs Acme now has a trailer ahead of its release this summer.
Update: The footage you are about to see should not exist. As part of its attempt to tranches of cash via a tax write-off, Warner Bros was meant to have completely erased the live-action/animated comedy, Coyote Vs Acme, from its drives.
Instead, after an outpouring of anger and sadness from filmmakers, the film – directed by David Green – was granted a stay of execution, and later sold to Ketchup Entertainment.
And so here we have it: our first proper, in-motion glimpse of a film that, for years, we thought we’d never get to see. Coyote Vs Acme, a film once destined for oblivion, is coming to cinemas on the 28th August 2026. It looks pretty good, doesn’t it? We love the little dig at Warner Bros (it being “a wholly owned subsidiary of the Acme Corporation”, which could double as a nod to its imminent sale to Paramount).
Here we go…
Our earlier story follows….
28th July 2025: How’s this for a redemption arc: Looney Tunes-themed comedy Coyote Vs Acme, shelved by studio Warner Bros and scheduled for deletion, will now get a global cinema release next year. At Comic-Con over the weekend, Ketchup Entertainment – which purchased Coyote Vs Acme from Warner Bros in a deal worth a reported $50m – is giving the animation and live action film a global release on the 18th August 2026.
It’s a far cry from where we were two years ago. At that point, the finished film, directed by David Green, fell victim to bad timing. Warner Bros had merged with Discovery in an expensive merger that year, and the now much bigger company began looking around for cost savings. Along with Batgirl and Scoob! 2, Coyote Vs Acme was scrapped as a tax write-off.
The decision was a controversial one, both online and among those who made the movie. Co-star John Cena said that his “heart and soul” were in the film. Another co-star, Will Forte, described the comedy as “incredible.”
In the months after the deletion news, there were several reports of studios being interested in rescuing the film. Warner Bros was resistant, but finally caved in the spring of 2025, when Ketchup Entertainment – which also released another unwanted Warner Bros film, The Day The Earth Blew Up – had managed to reach a deal with Warner Bros.
This begs the question: if Coyote Vs Acme had been deleted for tax purposes, how did they get it back? The studio must have some really good file recovery software.
At Comic-Con, the film’s cast playfully lampooned the corporation that almost deleted their movie. During its presentation at Hall H (according to Variety), an Acme lawyer (actually actor PH Byrne) and his interns attempted to prevent Coyote Vs Acme's trailer being shown, while moderator Paul Scheer led a chant of “Acme get out.”
The moment also plays into the film’s plot: the hapless Wile E Coyote takes Acme to court for its substandard products, resulting in a legal face-off between John Cena and Will Forte’s lawyers. It all sounds thoroughly delightful.
After years of drama and upset, Coyote Vs Acme will finally see the light of day.
