Coyote vs. Acme brings exciting news as global premiere date gets confirmed at SDCC

Coyote vs. Acme will finally see the light of day, thanks to Ketchup Entertainment, which rescued it from the clutches of Warner Bros. Discovery in March 2025.

The indie studio acquired the global rights for this Looney Tunes spin-off project. The film follows the iconic character Wile E. Coyote fighting against the evil ACME corporation. It offers a hybrid of live-action and animation in a legal comedy drama. After a long wait, it has finally received its premiere date.

Coyote vs. Acme is scheduled to be released on August 28, 2026, as per the latest reports from Variety. The update came from one of the film's leading stars and SNL alum, Will Forte, during his appearance at the SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con International). During the event, they also revealed two clips and a trailer to offer a sneak peek into this exciting project.

What happened to the film at WBD?

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Warner Bros. Discovery had backed the Looney Tunes project with the hopes of releasing it on streaming on HBO Max. However, the plan was dropped, reportedly for financial reasons, to write off its budget of $30 million. So, the film hit a dead end at the studio, which notoriously shelved Scoob! Holiday Haunt and Batgirl as well.

After the announcement, the cast and crew shared their disappointment over this unfortunate decision. They were joined by many voices in the industry, who were heartbroken by the cancellation. Eventually, Ketchup Entertainment acquired the distribution rights to this project in March 2025 and offered a positive update for this project.

Based in Los Angeles, the indie production and distribution studio has also backed another Looney Tunes-themed project in 2024. Titled The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, the Pete Browngardt directorial brought inventive gags to this nostalgic affair, earning a resounding 85% Rotten Tomatoes score. According to Deadline, the film made $15.1M worldwide, $8.8M of which was in the domestic market.

What do we know about Coyote vs. Acme so far?

The upcoming legal comedy film follows Wile E. Coyote deciding to wage war against ACME for selling faulty equipment in his pursuit of his arch-nemesis, Road Runner. Will Forte and John Cena start as two attorneys fighting against each other. Forte's character represents Coyote's side, while Cena's Buddy Crane is against them.

Coyote vs. Acme is directed by Dave Green with a script by Samy Burch, from a story she co-wrote with James Gunn and Jeremy Slater. It is reportedly inspired by Ian Frazier's same-name book. Apart from Forte and Cena, the cast includes Lana Condor, Luis Guzman, Eric Bauza, Martha Kelly, Tone Bell, and P.J. Byrne.

Coyote vs. Acme is scheduled for a global release on August 28, 2026.