EXCLUSIVE: One of the year’s most intrigue-filled movies is heading to the Cannes market for sale: the former Warner Bros live-action/animation hybrid Coyote vs. Acme.
We can reveal that Grégoire Melin’s Paris-based Kinology will serve as international sales agent for Ketchup Entertainment, which bought worldwide rights to the film from Warner Bros in a big deal earlier this year and is releasing in North America at a date tbc.
We understand there will be footage for buyers to see and potentially a market screening but the latter isn’t set yet.
Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor star in the movie, which follows Wile E. Coyote, who, after Acme products fail him one too many times in his dogged pursuit of the Roadrunner, decides to hire a billboard lawyer to sue the Acme Corporation. The case pits Wile E. and his lawyer (Forte) against the latter’s intimidating former boss (Cena), but a growing friendship between man and cartoon stokes their determination to win.
Pic is directed by Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) and produced by Chris DeFaria (The LEGO Movie) and James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy).
The backstory here has been much written about. Despite test-screening well, the project became a high-profile casualty of WB cost-cutting two years ago and it had been sitting on the shelf for more than a year. The studio reportedly screened the movie to a string of buyers in early 2024 with a price tag of around $70M, which is how much the film is said to have cost. Studio sources claim to us that they didn’t get any offers at the time. Ketchup stepped up to the plate earlier this year in a deal we understood to be in the $50M range.
Shelving the movie put noses out of joint at the time with talks of a potential tax write-down. Among those dismayed were Lego Movie director Phil Lord. The film’s star Forte called the move “f*cking bullsh*t”.
The Coyote deal by Ketchup marked a significant and record outlay for the company, whose previous releases have included Michael Keaton starrer Goodrich, comic book reboot Hellboy: The Crooked Man, Ben Affleck thriller Hypnotic, and Michel Franco’s Jessica Chastain drama Memory. Our understanding is that a theatrical launch stateside for the movie in 2026 is most likely. The project becomes one of the handful of studio level movie available for buyers in Cannes.
“We’re not just bringing a family film to Cannes — we’re bringing a global event,” commented Gareth West, CEO of Ketchup Entertainment today. “Coyote vs. Acme is a true four-quadrant crowd pleaser. The performances are sublime, the world-building is extraordinary, and Dave Green has delivered something visually inventive and emotionally satisfying that honors the Looney Tunes legacy while launching it into a whole new dimension. With Chris DeFaria and James Gunn guiding the production, this film has the pedigree, power and playability to travel. Grégoire’s passion and vision for the international rollout are exactly what this film deserves, and we’re thrilled to partner with him for the global stage.”
“Being Roger Rabbit’s biggest fan ever, I’m incredibly excited to introduce Coyote vs. Acme to international buyers,” added Melin. “It’s rare to find a project with this kind of built-in awareness, creative pedigree and cross-generational appeal. The film is hilarious, cinematic, and global at its core, in two words: great and unique — a perfect title for today’s marketplace.”
