With the live-action/animation Looney Tunes feature Coyote vs. Acme barely treading air off the edge of the tax write-off cliff, star Will Forte (MacGruber, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) took to social media to share his feelings upon finally seeing the completed film. Admitting that Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to toss the pic without a release, Forte wrote that he assumed it was a “hunk of junk.” Instead, the actor expressed incredulity at the fact that an “incredible,” “magnificent” film was being “deleted.”
Originally slated for a straight-to-streaming release on Max, Coyote vs. Acme was axed after the Warner Bros./Discovery merger. Following outcry from notable Hollywood names who had seen the movie, the studio grudged it a second chance by offering it up to an outside outlet. However, Warner Bros. Motion Pictures Group appeared not to be committed to a sale, with sources saying the studio had an unspoken non-negotiable price point; the company then took a $70 million write-down on completed film in its Q3 earnings.
The film is directed by Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Earth to Echo) from a screenplay by Samy Burch (May December), who worked out the story with Jeremy Slater and producer James Gunn.
Forte’s (@orviv) Instagram post reads:
“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.
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.
Super funny throughout, visually stunning, sweet, sincere and emotionally resonant in a very earned way. As the credits rolled, I just sat there thinking how lucky I was to be a part of something so special. That quickly turned to confusion and frustration. This was the movie they’re not going to release?
Look, when it comes to Hollywood business stuff, I don’t know s*** about s***. 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 f***ing hate it). Or agree with it. And it doesn’t mean that this movie is anything less than magnificent.
You would be so proud of it — a movie that should be seen, but won’t. Please know that all the years and years of hard work, dedication and love that you put into this movie shows in every frame.
That’s all folks,
Will Forte.”
