When we think of the antics of the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, there is one iconic image that comes to mind: Wile E. Coyote running full-steam after his nemesis, only to be outsmarted and finding himself running past a cliff’s edge, defying gravity by hovering in the air, nowhere to go but down. Only after the realization of doom does he fall. It’s a perfect metaphor for what happened with Warner Bros.’ abandoned Coyote vs. Acme movie, which the studio shelved last year as a tax write-off despite major hype. But could the movie actually emerge from the tunnel and see the light of day? Maybe, although we’d be as foolish as the coyote to believe it just yet.

According to one spokesperson for Warner Bros., the idea that the studio could use Coyote vs. Acme as a write-off is at this time “inaccurate”, with The New York Times noting they also said no final deal has been put in place. As for numbers, the movie is estimated to possibly bring in upwards of $40 million in tax savings, which would help them recoup any anticipated losses from the $70 million budget. Surely Coyote vs. Acme – which by most accounts was looking to be a pretty fun movie – would have made that back eventually…although it’s that “eventually” that scared the studio.

For Warner Bros., Coyote vs. Acme was just the sort of risk they weren’t willing to take, which is a shame for both audiences and all of the creatives who worked on the movie. In their announcement, the studio seemed to mean well but it reads more as a slap in the face: “With the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases. With this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with Coyote vs Acme. We have tremendous respect for the filmmakers, casts, and crew, and are grateful for their contributions to the film.” Right, respect…

After Warner Bros. gave it the ol’ Batgirl treatment, major players like Paramount, Amazon and Netflix all reportedly expressed interest in releasing the movie, with no deal coming through. For most of us, it doesn’t matter who obtains distribution rights, we just want to see Coyote vs. Acme! Really, at what point did we have to start begging studios to release movies that they’ve already made?

Do you think Coyote vs. Acme will ever be released to the public? What will it take for Warner Bros. to follow through?

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