It’s an odd thing, isn’t it? The way studio executives seemingly position themselves head-on against defenseless creatives. On the heels of the actor’s strike closing, it has become too easy to construct the world with an Us vs. Them mentality. Nobodywantsto view the studios as conniving evil masterminds; they seem to do it to themselves. The culprit this time around is Warner Bros. Discovery. Already emboldened with a nasty reputation as a film killer, the studio struck again by shelving a star-studded project featuring a beloved cartoon character and quickly became a lightning rod amidst a storm of critique and fury from a number of Hollywood creatives.
Coyote vs. Acme, adapted from a New Yorker comedy piece of the same title, is an already completed film (shot and edited) initially slated to be released on July 21 before it morphed into the infamous day of Barbenheimer.Featuring John CenaandLooney Tunes’ Wile E. Coyote in a live-action-animation hybrid, the film has notably received positive reviews in test screenings, further destabilizing the studio’s claims of needing a tax write-off.
Finger-pointing and the endless blame game have ensued as WBD’s latest doozy of a scandal raises questions about the current regime’s true intentions.Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro hypothesizesa political motive, claiming WBD wanted “to protect theLooney TunesIP and also scrub the studio of product developed by the previous administration.”
After losing Christopher Nolan in the (HBO) Max day-and-date controversy during the pandemic, the studio has gone through a rough year and a half since the Warner Bros. Discovery merger in early 2022. Along with Cena’sCoyote vs Acme, WBD has axed other completed projects in 2022’sBatgirlandScoob!: Holiday Haunt, leaving many across the industry wondering why the studio is committing such heinous acts and what it hopes to accomplish by doing so. Here’s what theCoyote vs. Acmecontroversy means in a post-strike Hollywood.
Hollywood’s Murder Mystery
Ian Frazier’s 1990 New Yorker article titled “Coyote v. Acme,” the comedy piece the film is based on, is more than a cheeky parody of the long-standing cartoon character. The lean read is a sharp satire that utilizes dry court jargon to comment on exploitative monopolies, Marxist confrontations, and corporate justice, all while maintaining the lovablecharm ofLooney Tune’sabsurdism.
Assuming Frazier’s article foreshadows the basis of the film, the meta-constructions ofCoyote vs. Acmeironically leak into our own world. The monopolizing efforts behind the new Warner Bros. Discovery mega-merger undoubtedly simmer under the surface of the cancelation headline. Though many accuse monopolizing studios of metaphorically killing cinema, in WBD’s case, they are literally killing movies.
Instead of judging a film by its market appeal or box office potential, titles are standardized based on administrative goals and arbitrary brand strategies. Similar toCoyote vs. Acme’s contention with the current WBD administration,Batgirlwas deemed unfitting for James Gunn’srenewed take on DC Studios. This isn’t uncommon in this industry, for many films suffer similar fates. Regardless, the repeated disloyalty to completed projects under the current administration raises concerns about the security of future productions attached to the WBD umbrella. Will a change of heart potentially threaten the existence ofDune: Part Two,Furiosa,Joker: Folie à Deux, orThe Batman – Part II?
Related:Wile E. Coyote and Capitalism: ACME and the Profitable Pursuit of Desire
The studio’s unchecked, unilateral power and control was at the center of the writers' and actors' strike, as creatives collectively stood up against corporate greed and industry upheaval. After killing off the competition, studio executives now aim to rid themselves of the very people responsible for creating movies and TV shows.
The strike presumably had an influence on WBD’s decision to reverse their cancelation and allow the filmmakers to shop their film around to other suitors. Despite their newfound remorse, WBD and the rest of the major Hollywood studios remain on trial for their egregious participation in cinecide.
Hollywood On Trial
As reports ofCoyote vs. Acme’s revival surfaced in the headlines,Amazon MGM Studiosquickly became the leading candidate as a new home for the Cena-led family picture. The newly restructured streamer-studio has committed itself to a slate of theatrical releases with Emerald Fennell’sSaltburn(2023), Luca Guadagnino’sChallengers(2024), and Cord Jefferson’sAmerican Fiction(2023). The well-receivedCoyote vs. Acmewould be a hearty addition to the lineup of Oscar-bait originals, as the fortified IP project almost guarantees box office success against its somewhat measly $70 million reported budget.
Trading places from major studio to Hollywood newcomer reflects an industry-wide shift occurring in real-time. Threatened by the prowess of streaming services, studios are crumbling under the pressure of the future. While streaming services focus their energies on upholding traditions of cinema within the purview of a changing filmmaking landscape, studios like WBD desperately cling to reactionary methods in order to salvage the debris of their colossal collision course, the collateral damage from monopolization and corporate mergers.
Related:Is Bugs Bunny an Anarchist, Surrealist, or Something More?
The verdict is now up to the jury. ShouldWarner Bros. Discoverybe punished for its crimes against creativity? Should we brace ourselves for a new normalcy where uncertainty and unstable predictability define the fate of future greenlit productions? And who should bear responsibility for this development, the studios or the streamers? Like the defendant, Mr. Coyote, we remain crushed, singed, flattened, and disintegrated, suffering under the dictatorship of the Hollywood executives. Until we reach a fair trial, films likeCoyote vs Acmemust resort to desperate measures in order to survive.
If you love animated movies, check out our list of the top 5 most timeless animated movies ever below.
