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The first trailer for Coyote vs ACME has finally arrived, and it immediately revives the same question people asked back in 2023: Why did Warner Bros. Discovery ever try to bury this thing?
Set for release on 28 August, the long-delayed live-action animation hybrid follows Wile E. Coyote as he finally snaps after decades of exploding rockets, collapsing traps and catastrophic gadgets, launching legal action against the ACME Corporation for repeated product failures. Looking back on it now, why did we all blame it on user error?
Representing the Coyote is Will Forte as down-on-his-luck lawyer Kevin Avery, while John Cena plays ACME’s slick opposing counsel (even before his 2025 heel turn, Cena was already playing the bad guy here). Lana Condor also stars, alongside appearances from classic Looney Tunes characters including Daffy Duck, Tweety, a conniving Foghorn Leghorn, and of course, Bugs Bunny.
“So, ah, what is up, doc?”
In the world of Looney Tunes, Coyote doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on. But here in the real world, suing ACME is something he should have done a long time ago. And with everything happening around the acquisition of Warner Bros. by Paramount Pictures, we couldn’t think of a more apt time to take them to court.
Don’t expect a boring legal drama to unfold. This trailer is balls-to-the-wall fun. The kind of broad, theatrical comedy audiences keep saying they want more of. And if the comparison isn’t obvious, it’s already looking like the Who Framed Roger Rabbit of the 21st century.
Which makes the film’s near-death all the stranger.
Originally made for HBO Max, Coyote vs. ACME reportedly cost around USD$70 million before Warner Bros. Discovery shelved it in 2023 and rolled it into a much larger USD$115 million write-down. At the time, CEO David Zaslav said they’d rather take a nine-figure hit than spend more to get it into cinemas.
After months in limbo, Ketchup Entertainment reportedly stepped in and bought the film for USD$50 million, dragging it back from the vault and putting it on track for a global theatrical release.
We’ll find out in August whether Coyote vs. ACME actually delivers. But based on this trailer alone, Warner Bros didn’t dodge a flop. It may have nearly buried a hit.
Coyote vs. ACME Cast and Crew
- Director: Dave Green
- Writers: Samy Burch, James Gunn, Jeremy Slater
- Will Forte as Kevin Avery
- John Cena as Buddy Crane
- Lana Condor as Paige Avery
- P. J. Byrne as Bill Pellicano
- Luis Guzmán as the judge
Coyote vs ACME is in theatres on 28 August 2026.
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