Moviefone Editorial

Tag: looney-tunes

  • Will Forte Talks ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’s Cancelation and Future

    Wile E. Coyote in 'Coyote vs. Acme.'
    Wile E. Coyote in ‘Coyote vs. Acme.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Discovery.

    Preview:

    • Will Forte has commented on twitter about ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’s future.
    • Warner Bros. opted to use it as a tax write-off rather than a release.
    • The movie also stars John Cena and Lana Condor.

    It was all going so well for ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’… Until it wasn’t.

    The movie, a blend of live-action and animation had a fun concept, a great cast led by John Cena and Will Forte, and was on track for a prime summer 2023 release.

    Until Warner Bros. got cold feet about the idea of the movie being a success (despite positive reviews from friends and family screenings), handed its date to ‘Barbie’ and then announced it was pulling a ‘Batgirl’ again, putting the movie on a shelf and taking a tax write-off instead of spending the money to market and release it.

    A cavalcade of complaints from filmmakers who have seen the finished film led to a brief process of inviting bids from other companies, but now according to Forte, who hit twitter to share his feelings on the matter, it’s likely to never see the light of day.

    Related Article: Warner Bros. has Opted to Shelve Completed John Cena Live-Action/CG Movie ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’

    What’s the story of ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’?

    Wile E. Coyote and Will Forte in 'Coyote vs. Acme.'
    (L to R) Wile E. Coyote and Will Forte in ‘Coyote vs. Acme.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Discovery.

    ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’ follows Wile E. Coyote, who after ACME products fail him one too many times in his dogged pursuit of the Roadrunner, decides to hire a billboard lawyer to sue the ACME Corporation.

    The case pits Wile E. and his lawyer (Forte) against the latter’s intimidating former boss (Cena), but a growing friendship between man and cartoon stokes their determination to win.

    Dave Green directed the movie, from a script by Samy Burch, itself derived from a story crafted by Jeremy Slater and James Gunn (yes, the current chief of DC Studios at Warner Bros.) The original idea came from a 1990 New Yorker humor piece written by Ian Frazier.

    Aside from Cena, the cast includes Lana Condor, P.J. Byrne and Eric Bauza (who voices Wile E. Coyote).

    Will Forte on ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’

    Here’s Forte’s statement in full via his twitter post:

    He finishes with this line:

    “You would be so proud of it — a movie that should be seen but won’t. Please know that all the years and years of hard work, dedication and love that you put into this movie shows in every frame.”

    It’s telling that the movie was greenlit by a previous Warner Bros. administration, and that the current one is on a huge cost-cutting run, slashing talent and producer deals and looking to stick to big potential successes such as ‘Dune: Part Two’.

    The attitude has not won it many fans among filmmakers in particular, who have reacted much like Forte. But as the studio pushes ahead making deals with stars such as Tom Cruise, it may not worry too much about that.

    Will Forte in 'MacGruber.'
    Will Forte in ‘MacGruber.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.

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  • Warner Bros. Shelves ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’

    (Left) John Cena in The Roku Channel's 'Die Hart 2: Die Harter.' (Right) Wile E. Coyote. Photo: Warner Bros.
    (Left) John Cena in The Roku Channel’s ‘Die Hart 2: Die Harter.’ (Right) Wile E. Coyote. Photo: Warner Bros.

    Preview:

    • Warner Bros. is no longer releasing ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’.
    • John Cena stars in the movie alongside some CG characters.
    • The studio was planning a tax write-down but may now shop the movie.

    Warner Bros. is drawing plenty of criticism, particularly on social media, for its decision to shelve new John Cena live-action/CG comedy ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’.

    The studio has decided that instead of putting the roughly $72 million-budgeted movie in theaters, it will instead take a tax write-down and stuff ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’ into a vault, never to see the light of day.

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    What’s the story of ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’?

    Wile E. Coyote.
    Wile E. Coyote. Photo: Warner Bros.

    ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’ follows Wile E. Coyote, who after ACME products fail him one too many times in his dogged pursuit of the Roadrunner, decides to hire a billboard lawyer to sue the ACME Corporation.

    The case pits Wile E. and his lawyer against the latter’s intimidating former boss (Cena), but a growing friendship between man and cartoon stokes their determination to win.

    Dave Green directed the movie, from a script by Samy Burch, itself derived from a story crafted by Jeremy Slater and James Gunn (yes, the current chief of DC Studios at Warner Bros.) The original idea came from a 1990 New Yorker humor piece written by Ian Frazier.

    Aside from Cena, the cast includes Lana Condor, P.J. Byrne, Will Forte and Eric Bauza (who voices Wile E. Coyote).

    It was originally greenlit in December 2020, and was targeted for what was then called HBO Max. But then the announcement came it would get a July 2023 release. But come April 2022, it was pulled from the release calendar and replaced with a little movie called ‘Barbie’.

    While that obviously worked out for Warner Bros., this latest move is proving to be a lot more controversial.

    Unlike even ‘Batgirl’, which was shelved last year, ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’ was finished and had reportedly tested very well with recruited audiences.

    And other filmmakers, who had seen the movie, have weighed in to criticize the decision. BenDavid Grabinski, a colleague of Green, tweeted the following:

    Director Dave Green’s statement

    Director Green put his own statement out on social media:

    “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. 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.”

    Related Article: Paul Feig Casts John Cena, Awkwafina and Simu Liu in ‘Grand Death Lotto’

    What did Warner Bros. say about the new decision?

    Here’s the statement from a Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group spokesperson:

    “With the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases. 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.”

    A new hope for ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’?

    Yet there is hope for the movie! According to the Puck newsletter, Warners film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, along with Warner Animation boss Bill Damaschke have heard the outcry and also been in heated meetings with representatives for the director and stars. Though there had been plans to pay the top talent a streaming fee despite the shelving, the idea now is to let the producers shop the movie around.

    The likes of Amazon had already reportedly been interested in picking up the movie, so perhaps it has a chance of seeing the light of day after all. Let’s just hope it’s not a train speeding down a tunnel, as it would be for Wile.

    John Cena in 'F9.'
    John Cena in ‘F9.’

    Other Looney Tunes Movies: 

    Buy John Cena Movies On Amazon

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  • Wile E. Coyote Is Getting His Own Movie in ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’

    Wile E. Coyote Is Getting His Own Movie in ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’

    Looney Tunes: Back in Action
    Warner Bros.

    Beep beep, buddy!

    According to Deadline, Looney Tunes evil “genius” Wile E. Coyote is getting his own movie. Jon and Josh Silberman (“Bordertown,” “Living Biblically,” “Deadbeat”) are writing “Coyote Vs. Acme,” with Chris McKay (“The Lego Batman Movie”) producing.

    There’s no word in Deadline’s piece on whether “Coyote Vs. Acme” is connected to Ian Frazier’s collection of humor essays. The title of that collection is “Coyote V Acme,” which is also the name of one of the essays, which imagines the opening statement of an attorney representing Wile E. Coyote in a liability suit against the Acme corporation.

    The Deadline report referenced previous Looney Tunes movies — “Space Jam” (1996) and “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” (2003) — and we shouldn’t forget “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988).

    According to Variety, this Wile E. Coyote movie will be animated. So perhaps it will skip the past films’ mix of live-action and animation.

    However it turns out, once the Warner Bros. film’s script is written, the Road Runner will probably walk away the winner. Again.

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  • 11 Things You Never Knew About ‘Space Jam’

    Need more proof that the ’90s were a crazy/awesome time for movies? We’d like to submit to evidence “Space Jam.”

    It’s been 20 years since Warner Bros. released the film, a documentary chronicling the time Michael Jordan spent his first NBA retirement teaming up with Bugs Bunny and the other Looney Tunes to defeat a group of super-powered aliens in a high-stakes game of basketball. Because a-doy!

    To celebrate that anniversary, and to fill the wait until the long-awaited remake finally materializes, here are 11 interesting facts you might not know about this ’90s classic.
    1. For whatever reason, Warner Bros. continues to maintain the official “Space Jam” website 20 years later. You can check it out here if you’re in the mood for some vintage, mid-’90s html work.

    2. Early in the film, there’s a shot of Moron Mountain in outer space with a strange, black rectangle in the corner of the screen. That rectangle is the alien monolith from “2001: A Space Odyssey.”3. When Bill Murray‘s character tells Daffy “the producer is a friend of mine,” he wasn’t lying. “Space Jam” was produced by Ivan Reitman, who’s probably best known for teaming with Murray on classic comedies like “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes.”
    4. Though they’re never actually mentioned in the film, all five Monstars have names of their own: Blanko (blue), Bupkis (purple), Bang (green), Nawt (red) and Pound (orange).

    5. Perhaps the biggest winner in the whole “Space Jam” enterprise was singer R. Kelly. He wrote the Grammy-winning “I Believe I Can Fly” specifically for the film’s soundtrack. To date, it remains his biggest hit single.6. Legendary animator Chuck Jones may have helped shape the Looney Tunes franchise, but he was critical of “Space Jam” after release. Among other complaints, Jones said that he felt Bugs should have solved his feud with the Monstars himself, rather than recruiting others to his cause.

    7. While Jordan played himself in the movie, his wife, Juanita, and their three children were portrayed by actors. Apparently, not everyone in the Jordan family is eager to be on camera.8. The Monstars’ career pretty much ended after “Space Jam,” but they did briefly return in 1998 via a cameo appearance in the “Pinky & the Brain” episode, “Star Warriors.”

    9. “Space Jam” actually served as a reunion for His Airness and Mr. Bunny. The two appeared in a series of Nike commercials, where they joined forces against Marvin the Martian and his basketball-playing alien allies.10. With “Space Jam” being such a box office success, it should come as no surprise that Warner Bros. has been trying to craft sequels and/or a remake for years. It sounds like “Space Jam” reboot/remake is finally in the works, with LeBron James apparently taking over for Jordan.

    11. Warners had some ambitious franchise plans for the film. At one point, Jackie Chan was slated to star in “Spy Jam” (with that project eventually morphing into 2003’s “Looney Tunes: Back in Action”), and NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon was rumored for “Race Jam.”
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  • Joe Alaskey, Voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Dies at 63

    “Looney Tunes” fans, today we raise a carrot for , modern voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Sylvester the Cat, and other cartoon favorites. According to Entertainment Weekly, Alaskey died of cancer at age 63. Sufferin’ succotash indeed.

    When Mel Blanc passed away, Alaskey was one of the voice actors to take on his iconic characters. In the 2003 movie “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” Alaskey voiced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Beaky Buzzard, and Mama Bear. In the 2000 animated movie “Tweety’s High-Flying Adventure,” Alaskey voiced Tweety, Sylvester, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Henery Hawk, and Colonel Rimfire. Phew!

    In addition to Warner Bros. characters, Alaskey also voiced Grandpa Lou Pickles in the “Rugrats” movies and video games, and on the TV series from 1997-2004. You may also recall his voice as Droopy in the “Tom and Jerry” movies, Stinkie in “Caspter,” Yosemite Sam in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” or Plucky Duck on “Tiny Toon Adventures.”

    Joe Alaskey was a major voice of your childhood. Honor his legacy by watching him in this behind-the-scenes clip:


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  • LeBron James May Be Making ‘Space Jam 2’

    2015 NBA Finals - Game FiveFresh off his hilarious turn in “Trainwreck,” LeBron James may be taking his talents to a beloved ’90s film.

    Earlier this week, James and Warner Bros. Looney Tunes characters to take on a group of evil aliens.

    “To be able to partner with Warner Bros. will allow me to do some things I’ve always dreamed of,” James said in a statement. He added on his official Facebook page, “Can’t wait to bring you guys some amazing stories.”

    Reading between the lines, it sounds like “Space Jam 2” is all but a sure thing, though a Deadline report from last year linking LeBron to the project was quickly debunked by the basketball star. But a Capital New York reporter did some digging and discovered that Warner Bros. had reapplied for new trademarks for the “Space Jam” name just last month, before making the big LeBron announcement. Coincidence, or a hint that something truly is in the works?

    We’ll have to wait until James or Warner Bros. makes an official statement on the possibility, though with “Space Jam”‘s 20th anniversary looming next year, the time sure seems right. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.

    [via: LeBron James, Wall Street Journal, h/t Deadspin]

    Photo credit: Getty Images

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