Posted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: coyote vs. acme, hbo max, looney tunes, warner bros discovery

Coyote vs. Acme Production Members Were "Blindsided" By The Shelving

Several people involved with the production of Coyote vs. Acme were "blindsided" by the film being shelved and didn't find out until they were asked to comment on it.

Yesterday was supposed to be a good day for Hollywood because the second major strike of 2023 was finally ending. The writers and actors finally got what they wanted [for the most part], and we could go into the holiday season knowing that people would be able to get back to work. However, Warner Bros. Discovery had to come along and ruin everything by fumbling the ball so hard yet again that you have to wonder if anyone at that studio has functional limbs anymore. In August 2022, the studio shelved two almost complete films, Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunts, as tax write-offs, people were unhappy about it and even more unhappy with how badly things were handled. Many people involved with those projects were finding out when we did that the movie wasn't going forward. Yesterday, they decided to shelve yet another complete film, and this time, it was Coyote vs. Acme, which starred John Cena once again for a tax write-off.

"With the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases," a WB Motion Picture Group spokesperson said in a statement. "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."

Repeating The Same Mistakes With Coyote vs Acme Seems On Theme

They were so grateful that, apparently, several people involved with the production were blinded by what happened. Rolling Stone has released a new report about the project's shelving, and it seems that Warner Bros. Discovery learned absolutely nothing in the last year or so. It wasn't just that those films were canceled; it was the disrespect to the people involved by not even giving them a heads-up before telling the press and the public. Once again, they decided all the bad publicity they got for doing that to the people who made Batgirl and Scoob! needed repeating, and people involved with Coyote vs. Acme didn't find out about the shelving until Rolling Stone reached out for a comment, with the production member saying, "I am disappointed. I was looking forward to seeing all our hard work come to life."

One reason people said Batgirl was being shelved was due to poor testing, but Coyote vs. Acme wasn't having that problem. Rolling Stone found sources saying that the film was testing very well, "14 points above the norm for a family film," with one production source saying, "Quite honestly, we thought it was a slam dunk. I think that's what's so deflating and frustrating. I just don't get it because it's sitting there, and none of us get to see something that's so fun and enjoyable." So this isn't like Warner Bros. is shelving a film destined to fail; Cena can be a massive draw to the box office, and the film was testing well. There isn't any reason to lie about the quality now. The ink is dry, and the deed is done for this movie, so there is no need to sugarcoat anything, and one source wasn't sugarcoating anything regarding what is going on behind the scenes at Warner Bros.

"Warner Bros. is a mess," they say. "They obviously are carrying this staggering debt. They probably have certain minimums and obligations they must owe their creditors, which are motivating them to make bizarre choices. They're just not in sync with how the business has been run. It's devilishly destructive."

The Pain Of Complete Artistic Erasure

For Coyote vs. Acme director David Green, he took to social media last night to express his disappointment in how all of this went down, saying on X/Twitter, "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. I was surrounded by a brilliant team who poured their souls into this project for years. We were all determined to honor the legacies of these historic characters and get them right. Along the ride, we were embraced by test audiences who rewarded us with fantastic scores. 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."

For Coyote vs. Acme editor Carsten Kurpanek, the hurt goes much deeper because this is nothing like when a film is finished, as he explained to Rolling Stone that feeling of erasure that comes with a project getting shelved like this. "This film was me for the last two and a half years. It will always be a part of me. I even got a Wile E. Coyote tattoo on my right arm the week we delivered the movie before I left London — to remind me of the challenges we face while we pursue our goals. This erasure hurts on a personal level. … With this write-off, everything gets deleted, not just what you see on screen, but everything that it took to make the film. A released movie is just the tip of a giant iceberg of love and labor. The talent and commitment of the people who bring a project to life should not go unnoticed… All of it is now lost but will never be forgotten by those lucky enough to have been there."

Several people on social media have been talking about the film; some even say they attended test screenings and said it was legitimately great. However, much like Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunts, these write-off cases come with clauses that Warner Bros. Discovery cannot make any money off of Coyote vs Acme, or they must give the write-off money back. So, while the backlash for this one might be just as loud as the backlash was back in August 2022, there likely isn't much the public can do about it aside from ringing that metaphorical shame bell as loud as possible. However, it's pretty clear that there are those in upper management at Warner Bros. Discovery who have no shame, and how do you bring shame to the shameless? The Rolling Stone article says that Coyote vs Acme will get its funeral screening before it's put into the vault with the other, never to be seen. Unless someone stages some Ocean's Eleven-style break-in and they end up leaked online, stranger things have happened.

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