Will Forte takes on Acme in first trailer for the film Warner Bros tried to bury

The long-running saga of the “deleted” Looney Tunes film has reached a courtroom climax that even Wile E. Coyote couldn’t have engineered. Following three years of corporate limbo and an industry-wide “rescue” campaign, Ketchup Entertainment has released the first official trailer for Coyote vs. Acme. The film, which was infamously shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery as a tax write-off, is now scheduled for a global theatrical release on August 28, 2026.

Directed by Dave Green and written by Academy Award nominee Samy Burch, the live-action/animation hybrid follows Wile E. Coyote as he hires a down-on-his-luck lawyer, played by Will Forte, to sue the Acme Corporation. The legal battle hinges on the systematic failure of Acme products during the Coyote’s pursuit of the Road Runner. John Cena stars as the rival counsel representing the corporate giant in a story that parodies the legal aesthetics of Better Call Saul.

From Spreadsheet Liability to Theatrical Asset

The release represents a rare victory for creators over the “tax-loss” accounting strategies that defined the early 2020s. In 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery initially opted to shelve the completed $70 million project to claim an estimated $30 million tax write-down. This sparked an unprecedented backlash from Hollywood creatives, leading the studio to allow the filmmakers to shop the project to other distributors.

While streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon reportedly walked away from the $70 million “break-even” asking price, Ketchup Entertainment, the independent distributor that recently handled the hand-drawn Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up, secured the rights for a reported $50 million. The acquisition highlights a growing trend where independent distributors pick up “discarded” studio IP to anchor their theatrical slates, banking on the built-in “Information Gain” of a controversial production history.

The “Rules as Written” of Cartoon Physics

For the geek community, the premise of Coyote vs Acme is more than just a legal parody; it is an exploration of the “Cartoon Physics” mechanics first codified in roleplaying games such as Steve Jackson Games’ Toon (1984) and West End Games’ Looney Tunes (1991). These systems were the first to quantify “falling from a great height” or “being flattened by an anvil” not as health-point deductions, but as narrative complications.

By framing these chaotic mechanics as a product liability lawsuit, the film bridges the gap between traditional animation and the “bureaucratic horror” sub-genre often seen in modern indie roleplaying games. The trailer leans into this meta-commentary, using the tagline “The Film Acme Didn’t Want You to See,” a pointed jab at the real-world studio’s attempt to erase the film from existence.

Will Forte, Coyote’s attorney in the film, said in a statement to his crew and fans back in 2024:

“I’ve seen this movie and it is incredible. Super funny throughout, visually stunning, sweet, sincere, and emotionally resonant… I am so glad that the fans and the filmmakers fought to make sure it wasn’t just a line item.”