The Coyote vs. Acme trailer is here, and the fact that this trailer exists at all is the real story. In 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery made the decision to shelve this completed live-action/animated hybrid film as a tax write-off rather than release it. The film was finished. The cast had done press. Then it was erased from the slate entirely. Now Ketchup Entertainment has stepped in, and Wile E. Coyote finally gets his day in court.

That is not a metaphor. The film is literally about Wile E. Coyote suing ACME.

Coyote vs. Acme opens in theaters August 28. Directed by Dave Green, the film stars Will Forte, Lana Condor, and John Cena alongside the Looney Tunes characters you grew up with.

What Is the ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Trailer Actually Showing Us?

The Coyote vs. Acme trailer leans into both the legal absurdity and the slapstick history of the character. After decades of being blown up, crushed, and otherwise destroyed by ACME’s defective products, Wile E. Coyote teams up with billboard accident lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) to take ACME, Inc. to court. Standing in their way is Buddy Crane (John Cena), a slick corporate counsel with every incentive to make sure justice does not happen.

The official logline: “After enduring years of catastrophic product failures at the hands of ACME, Inc., a tenacious, unemployed coyote uncovers a corporate cover-up and spearheads an unhinged battle against the multinational conglomerate that’s been blowing him up in the name of profit. Also, there’s a roadrunner. And dynamite.”

The film blends live-action and animation in the tradition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and the visuals in the Coyote vs. Acme trailer show an aesthetic that looks genuinely faithful to the Looney Tunes source material rather than watered down.

Why Did WB Shelve ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ in the First Place?

This is the part that still stings. In late 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery decided not to release Coyote vs. Acme and took the completed film as a financial write-off to reduce the studio’s tax liability. According to reporting from The Hollywood Reporter, the film was among several finished projects WBD chose to pull from release rather than invest in distribution.

The decision came alongside the shelving of the nearly-completed Batgirl and a wider wave of content cuts under WBD CEO David Zaslav’s cost-reduction push. For filmmakers, actors, and fans, watching a finished movie get treated as a tax deduction was an ugly reminder of where studio priorities can land.

The Coyote vs. Acme situation became a flashpoint in broader conversations about how studios value, or do not value, creative work.

Ketchup Entertainment Rescued the Film

Ketchup Entertainment acquired the rights and is now giving the film a proper theatrical release. That acquisition matters. It is proof that enough belief existed in the project to give it a second life, and it mirrors the story of the Coyote himself: knocked down by forces larger than himself, but still standing.

Coyote vs. Acme opens in theaters August 28.

The Cast of ‘Coyote vs. Acme’

Will Forte leads the human cast as Kevin Avery, a billboard accident lawyer who becomes the Coyote’s unlikely legal champion. Forte is a natural fit for the comedic chaos the premise demands. Lana Condor also stars, bringing her presence to a film that already has a lot going on tonally. John Cena plays corporate antagonist Buddy Crane with exactly the kind of energy the role calls for.

The Looney Tunes characters appear in animated form alongside the live-action cast, maintaining the hybrid format the film was originally built around. Wile E. Coyote remains the emotional center.

What This Film Actually Represents

It would be easy to write this off as a gimmick. A cartoon suing a fake corporation in a live-action movie sounds like the kind of IP play that gets greenlit on spreadsheet logic. But the Coyote vs. Acme trailer suggests something sharper underneath: a story about accountability, perseverance, and a character who has absorbed more punishment than anyone and still refuses to quit.

That premise hits differently after 2023. The film was punished by the very kind of corporate machinery it is about. Now it is back. That is worth something.

Watch the Coyote vs. Acme trailer here:

Coyote vs. Acme opens in theaters August 28 from Ketchup Entertainment.

Follow @CoyoteVsAcmeMovie and @KetchupEntertainment for updates.