Ketchup Entertainment May Be Acme vs. Coyote’s Last Hope
Image Courtesy of eCartelera
By Luis Zonenberg
When it comes to the growing struggle of surviving the brutal Hollywood system, a new threat has emerged that now threatens all sorts of filmmakers: deletion! In an effort to save money, the Warner Bros. company started deleting films before they were even released and used them instead for a tax write-off. Unreleased movies such as Batgirl and yes, even the famous Acme vs. Coyote movie, were subject to this new strategy.
The Acme vs. Coyote movie is arguably the most popular and influential movie of the crop since it was a unique blend of animation and live-action. On top of it, the movie had very positive test screenings, with many praising it as the best of its kind since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. So the idea of deleting a potential critical and family-style box-office hit seemed quite baffling.
The story shows Wile E. Coyote filing a lawsuit against the Acme Corporation after many of its products blew up in his face in his attempt to catch the Road Runner. A down-and-out billboard attorney Kevin Avery (Will Forte) represents Coyote with the two even forming a close friendship. Things soon go awry though when they are pitted against Buddy Crane (John Cena), a lawyer who represents the Acme Corporation.
The story itself sounds very fun and would serve as a catalyst for a numerous amount of cameos. Director Dave Green even confirmed that many Looney Tunes characters would be involved in the film, some as throwaway cameos and others with a major supporting role in the witness booth. With all the positive press and hard work that went into production, it was quite puzzling to see why Warner would move to delete this. Yet, this would only begin a trend of continued neglect to the Looney Tunes brand.
The famous romantic Pepe le Pew has been repeatedly removed from several projects, even the fairly recent Space Jam: A New Legacy film. A proposed musical film titled Bye Bye Bunny was ultimately scrapped, with its entire production team being laid off. The ultimate sin though was removing all the Looney Tunes shorts from their streaming service on Max, meaning the only to watch them now is through DVDs, Blu-Rays and all other sorts of physical media.
Yet, hope is on the horizon as Ketchup Entertainment is currently in deep negotiations with Warner Bros. to purchase the rights to Acme vs. Coyote for $50 million. The same company also bought the rights to a separate canned Looney Tunes film called the Day the Earth Blew Up, which currently stands as the best reviewed Looney Tunes film yet! If the negotiations prove successful, the film can be released as early as 2026 and finally see the light of day.
With Warner Bros. new marketing strategy catering to mostly adults, it truly feels like the company is shooting themselves in the foot. With the recent success of animated hits like Super Mario Bros. or Inside Out 2, one would think that Warner would rely on their oldest and arguably most famous brand to retaliate with. The future of Looney Tunes truly is in the hands of Ketchup Entertainment and we all hope everything goes well so the film can finally be released into the world.
