Will Forte, who stars in the shelved (and likely to be deleted) live-action/animated hybridCoyote vs. Acmeis speaking out for the first time since the film was used as a tax write-off by Warner Bros. and he’s telling fans via his social media that he sadly thinks no one will ever get to see the finished product. Forte took to hisXpage and left a series of messages in one post to the fans, and it sounds like he’s just as heartbroken as everyone has been that Warner Bros. decided to kill the film back in November. Forte said:
“To the Cast and Crew of Coyote Vs Acme — I know that a lot of you haven’t gotten a chance to see our movie. And sadly, it’s looking like you never will.”
He went on to say that he hadn’t seen the film when he found out it had been “deleted,” something which is sure to come as a huge disappointment to many, and continued:
“When I first heard that our movie was getting ‘deleted,’ I hadn’t seen it yet. So I was thinking what everyone else must have been thinking: this thing must be a hunk of junk. But then I saw it. And it’s incredible.”
The news ofCoyote vs. Acmebeing shelvedsent shockwaves through Hollywood. Despite a positive reception from all those who worked on it and very positive test scores, monetary reasons took center stage when the decision was made by the studio to kill the film for a $30 million tax write-off. The project became the third already-shot film to be given this treatment after previously engaging in the same practice for the nearly completedBatgirlandScoob! Holiday Hauntin August 2022.
Coyote vs. Acme Is the Third Time Warner Bros. Has Erased a Finished Film
The industry wasn’t too pleased when the decision was made todo away withBatgirlandScoob!but, at the time, it was viewed as a one-off change in strategy that would never happen again. When the same move was made withCoyote vs. Acme, reports surfaced that filmmakers made it clear to reps to cancel meetings they had scheduled with Warner Bros. to send a message, and it seemed as if the studio heard that message because they then decided to shop the film elsewhere.
Shortly after the news broke, screenings were set up for streamers Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, and Netflix in an effort for any ofthese interested parties to acquire the film. No formal deals were made at the time, but Amazon was listed as a leading contender because Courtenay Valenti, the Head of Film, Streaming, and Theatrical for Amazon Studios and MGM, was one of the film’s biggest champions when she worked at Warner Bro. as President of Production and Development.
Why the (Short-Lived) Cancelation of Coyote vs. Acme Is Bad for the Film Industry
Coyote vs. Acme may live again, but the repercussions of its brief cancelation continue a worrying precedent.
Sadly, the hope of another platform picking up the film was dashed when Warner Bros. felt the bids to acquire the film weren’t high enough. Netflix and Paramount put in offers between $30-50 million, but this was below the $70 million that Warner Bros. was asking for. They also rejected other offers from Amazon and Apple TV+ for not being high enough, thus killing the film once again.
Perhaps being left with Forte’s words on this matter sums a lot of this up best:
“Look, when it comes to Hollywood business stuff, I don’t know shit about shit. Even when a movie tests very well (like ours), there’s no guarantee that it’s gonna be a hit. And at the end of the day, the people who paid for this movie can obviously do whatever they want with it. It doesn’t mean I have to like it (I fu**king hate it). Or agree with it. And it doesn’t mean that this movie is anything less than magnificent.”
