If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

"Lost" Looney Tunes movie Coyote vs. Acme has been saved by The Day the Earth Blew Up distributors Ketchup Entertainment

Finally, a win for Wile E. Coyote. Coyote vs. Acme is said to be tracking for a 2026 release date

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Mon Mar 31 2025

Popverse's top stories of the day

Superman celebrates kindness and love in his DCU reboot, says writer/director James Gunn during CinemaCon 2025 presentation
MEMBERS ONLY: Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud's The Cartoonist Club is for all the indoor kids (past and present)
Spider-Man vs. Venom on the big screen? "We got close" to a Tom Holland/Tom Hardy movie, says Hardy

At last, the always pursuant Wile E. Coyote gets to catch up. Or rather, Ketchup.

Announced by Ketchup Entertainment in a statement March 31, the long-awaited Coyote vs. Acme will finally get its day in cinemas. After signaling their intention to purchase the distribution rights to the film, Ketchup has bought out the contract from Warner Bros., who infamously shelved the project in 2021. This buyout comes on the heels of Ketchup's release of The Day the Earth Blew Up, another Looney Tunes project which Warner Bros. greenlit but ultimately changed its mind about debuting.

The film, which blends live action and 2D-style animation (à la Space Jam), is said to focus on a lawsuit brought by Wile E. Coyote against the hilariously accident-prone Acme company, whose products Coyote has been unsuccessfully using to catch his nemesis, The Road Runner, since 1949. Along with Mr. Coyote himself, the movie stars SNL alum Will Forte and Peacemaker's own John Cena.

"We're thrilled to have made a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring this film to audiences worldwide," said Gareth West, CEO of Ketchup Entertainment, "Coyote vs. Acme is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the beloved Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation. We believe it will resonate with both longtime fans and newcomers alike."

Well said, Gareth - go on any Looney Tunes subreddit and you'll find anticipation for this film to be at an all-time high, from both older fans of animation to younger fans who dislike the recent turn in Warner Bros.'s corporate decision-making. Also in the mix of revelers, we presume, is the Coyote vs. Acme cast, particularly its human lead.

"It is such a delightful movie," Forte told The Wrap in February, "It deserves so much better than it got [...] I like talking about the movie because I don’t want people to forget what [Warner Bros. Discovery] did to this. I appreciate them letting us make it, but don’t let us make this thing that we fall in love with and then not show it. I would understand if the thing sucked, but it’s really good. Maybe somehow we get to see it at some point. I hope people do."

Well, Will, your hopes of a couple years have been realized, as have ours. Hell, depending on how things go for Wile E. Coyote in the film, we could see 75 years of hoping fulfilled.

We doubt it, though.

Coyote vs. Acme is expected in theaters some time in 2026.

Popverse has been covering the entire Looney Tunes/Warner Bros. saga since it began, including:

Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.