In a development that absolutely no one predicted but everyone suddenly needs, Wile E. Coyote is getting his day in court. The first official poster for Coyote vs. Acme has dropped, confirming an August 28 theatrical release and teasing a trailer that promises to answer the age-old question: can you actually sue a corporation for selling you anvils that defy the laws of physics?
The film represents one of Hollywood’s great survival stories. Originally developed by Warner Bros. and scheduled for a 2023 release, Coyote vs. Acme was completed, tested well with audiences, and then abruptly shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav in November 2023 for a $30 million tax write-off. It was the same fate that befell Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, and it looked like Wile E. Coyote’s greatest defeat wouldn’t come from the Road Runner but from corporate accounting.
But the film refused to die. After public backlash, filmmaker outcry, and several angry phone calls from directors who suddenly had trust issues with Warner Bros., the studio reversed course and allowed the filmmakers to shop the project elsewhere. Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Paramount all kicked the tires, but ultimately it was Ketchup Entertainment—a distributor whose name sounds like a Looney Tunes gag itself—that acquired the rights for approximately $50 million in March 2025. Now, after years in limbo, the coyote is finally getting his revenge.
The premise is genius in its simplicity. After decades of Acme Corporation products backfiring in spectacular fashion—rockets that u-turn, anvils that fall upward, birdseed that attracts only law enforcement—Wile E. Coyote hires a down-on-his-luck human attorney named Kevin Avery to sue his former supplier for selling allegedly faulty products. John Cena plays Buddy Crane, the intimidating corporate lawyer defending Acme, while Will Forte stars as Avery, the billboard attorney who takes on the case of a lifetime. Lana Condor plays Paige, Kevin’s niece, rounding out a cast that understands exactly how ridiculous this material is.
Director Dave Green has acknowledged Who Framed Roger Rabbit as a major influence, which is the correct reference point for any live-action/animated hybrid that wants to be taken seriously. The film features not just Wile E. Coyote but appearances from Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and Yosemite Sam—essentially the entire Looney Tunes roster showing up to support their fellow animated citizen’s legal battle against corporate negligence.
The animation process itself was a labor of love. The crew developed a technique called “sketchviz,” where 2D artists created black-and-white line drawings of key poses over rough edits to guide the 3D animators. Duncan Studio provided traditional hand-drawn animation for certain shots and characters, ensuring that the classic 2D aesthetic wasn’t lost in the transition to modern CGI. Director Dave Green emphasized that the team was “determined to honor the legacies of these historic characters and actually get them right.”
What’s particularly delicious is that the film’s plot—about a giant corporation choosing profit over people—mirrors its own real-world development hell. Editor Carsten Kurpanek described the story as a “David vs. Goliath” narrative tackling “the cynical and casual cruelness of capitalism and corporate greed.” When Warner Bros. tried to bury the film for a tax write-off, they inadvertently proved the movie’s thesis. You couldn’t write a better marketing angle if you tried.
The poster itself is a cheeky delight, featuring Wile E. Coyote in full legal attire, presumably ready to object on the grounds that gravity shouldn’t work differently just because he’s the one falling. It promises a trailer soon, and if the film’s troubled history is any indication, that trailer will arrive with the triumphant energy of a character who has finally caught the bird.
Mark your calendars for August 28, 2026, and support the little guy—Coyote vs. Acme is the lawsuit Hollywood didn’t want you to see.