After being shelved three years ago, Coyote vs. Acme is finally getting a theatrical release!

Featured image credit: Ketchup Entertainment

Among the many genres covered at crimereads dot com is the “legal drama.” We’ve got articles about Lincoln lawyers, Perry Masons, and the John Grisham universe. And now, we’ve got an article about another landmark legally-inclined work: Coyote vs. Acme. 

If this sounds to you like something from the Looney Tunes universe, your instincts are spot-on! Yes, indeed, Coyote vs. Acme is a part-animated, part-live action comedy SLASH legal drama, in the tradition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

Coyote vs. Acme. is the story of Wile E. Coyote at a watershed moment in his life. He’s had it with the countless ACME products that have backfired or blown up in his face (literally) upon his attempts to use them. Fed up, he decides to sue the ACME corporation… and embarks on a wild, unexpected adventure as a result.

It’s in theaters now. You can go see it now! You can get up, head over to the movie theater of your choice, and go see this movie! What an incredible thing!

This description might seem simple, or I might seem silly for breaking down such a commonplace proceeding as “going to the movies” in this way, but I do so because we almost didn’t have the chance to see Coyote vs. Acme in theaters. Or at all.

The story of Coyote vs. Acme is a tale of the struggle against the overwhelming threat of corporate greed. And I’m not talking about the plot of the movie, but the story of it… the story of why it’s so significant that we can go see it now.

Coyote vs. Acme, which was written by Academy Award-nominee Samy Birch and directed by Dave Green, was filmed in 2022. (The film is actually based on a humor piece by the writer Ian Frazer in The New Yorker from 1990, imagining Wile. E. Coyote filing a suit against Acme. In 1998, Scott Rudin brought the rights to the article, but couldn’t get approval from Warner Bros. to use the Looney Tunes characters before the option lapsed in 2006. In 2015, James Gunn pitched the film to Warner Bros. and got the project green-lit, and hired Jeremy Slater to write the first draft.)

But in 2023, after it was completed and ready for distribution, the entire project was cancelled and shelved. The company, Warner Bros. Discovery, under the leadership of CEO David Zaslav, decided to cancel it and claim of a loss of $30 million as a tax write-off. (The film had cost $70 to make.) During Zaslav’s tenure, Warner Bros. Discovery had done that twice before, shelving and writing off the films Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. But those films had not yet completed post-production, while Coyote vs. Acme had. Moreover, Coyote vs. Acme had already drummed up praise in a few test screenings. It was shaping up to be a blockbuster, hailed as a hilarious new story that perfectly captured the feeling of vintage Looney Tunes cartoons. The final word was that the film would never be released, and copies were locked away. Warner Bros. said that they weren’t even considering selling the film to another distributor. Coyote vs. Acme was dead.

But then… something happened! Then the people revolted. Outcries on social media and protests in the street and change.org petitions brought the matter worldwide attention.

Once it had seemed that Coyote vs. Acme would never see the light of day, but thanks to this widespread, and prolonged, public outrage, Warner Bros. eventually agreed to consider offers from other distributors. In March of 2025, it was finally bought by Ketchup Entertainment for $5o million. And finally, at the end of August 2026, it hit theaters. It’s in theaters right now. What’s the tagline? “The movie Acme doesn’t want you to see.” Ha!

For me, Coyote vs. Acme has become a reminder of how amazing it is to be able to see a film in the movies… and how amazing it is when art triumphs over corporate greed. Go see it and stand up for movies!

Here’s the trailer, in case you need more convincing: