NEW YORK (AP) — For once, things are working out for Wile E. Coyote.
After being shelved by Warner Bros. in 2023, the Looney Tunes film “Coyote vs. Acme” has found a new home. Ketchup Entertainment announced Monday that it acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film for an undisclosed sum.
The deal gives new life to one of the three fully completed films that Warner Bros. elected to take a tax write-off on rather than release. The tactic, which followed a change in leadership at Warner Bros. coming out of the pandemic, was widely disparaged by creatives and fans, alike. The other two shelved movies — the $90 million DC Studios production “Batgirl” and the animated “Scoob! Holiday Haunt” — remain unreleased.
But “Coyote vs. Acme” will be salvaged from the dustbin. Ketchup Entertainment plans a theatrical release at an unspecified future date.
“We’re thrilled to have made a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring this film to audiences worldwide,” Gareth West, chief executive of Ketchup Entertainment, said in a statement. “‘Coyote vs Acme’ is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the beloved Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation.”
Directed by Dave Green and based on a New Yorker article by Ian Frazier, “Coyote vs. Acme” follows Wile E. Coyote in a lawsuit against Acme Corporation for the many faulty products that failed to catch him the Road Runner. The live-action animated hybrid stars John Cena and Will Forte.
Deadline earlier reported that Ketchup paid about $50 million for the film, which cost $70 million to produce. Ketchup, a distribution company launched in 2012, also recently released another Looney Tunes film jettisoned by Warner Bros.: “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.” In three weeks of release, it’s grossed $8.2 million in domestic ticket sales.
