Coyote vs. Acme escapes death by Warner Bros. Discovery, gets 2026 release date

After years in limbo, the live-action Looney Tunes movie Coyote vs. Acme is confirmed to be released in theaters in 2026. Film distributor Ketchup Entertainment, which picked up the movie after Warner Bros. shelved it, released new images of the film and announced a release date at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday.

The legal comedy centers on Looney Tunes icon Wile E. Coyote as he takes legal action against the Acme Corporation over its faulty products, which he claims have caused him immeasurable harm across countless failed attempts to capture the Road Runner. (He’s not wrong.)

The struggle to bring Coyote vs. Acme has been equally challenging for its creators. Filmed in 2022, and originally planned for a theatrical release in 2023, the animated and live-action hybrid movie was at one point effectively canceled by Warner Bros. Discovery, which opted not to release Coyote vs. Acme in favor of taking a tax write-off for the completed project.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to shelve Coyote vs. Acme — similar to how it handled completed movies Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt — rankled filmmakers and Looney Tunes fans. Amid widespread negative blowback from creators, animators, and animation fans, WBD wound up shopping the movie around to other film studios, including Sony Pictures and Netflix, but couldn’t find a buyer until Ketchup Entertainment stepped in. That distributor also handled the release of animated feature The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, released earlier this year.

Coyote vs. Acme is directed by Dave Green, written by Samy Burch, and stars Will Forte (as Wile E. Coyote’s legal representation), John Cena (as a lawyer for Acme), Lana Condor, and Tone Bell. The movie is produced by Chris deFaria and James Gunn.

Coyote vs. Acme will be released in theaters on Aug. 28, 2026. Here’s a look at the film’s first poster.