‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Reveals Release Date with Fresh Images and New Poster Drop

Coyote vs. Acme has officially locked in a global release date: August 28, 2026. The announcement came straight from San Diego Comic-Con, where the cast and creators gave fans a first look at what’s to come from the long-shelved live-action and animated hybrid.

During the panel, actor and moderator Paul Scheer joked about the wild journey the movie’s had, saying, “This movie wasn’t supposed to come out,” and followed up with, “I heard Warner Bros wouldn’t release the film — I’ve never heard of Warner Bros! This is really an Acme decision and I’m saying that for legal purposes.”

Scheer later added, “Ketchup is single-handedly saving the Looney Tunes. Mr. Ketchup, we salute you.”

Originally made by Warner Bros. with a reported $70 million budget, Coyote vs. Acme was pulled from release back in 2023 so the studio could claim it as a tax write-off. But in 2025, Ketchup Entertainment stepped in and picked up the rights in a $50 million deal. Ketchup had already handled distribution for another abandoned Warner Bros. animation project, The Day the Earth Blew Up, which brought in $15.1 million worldwide.

Actor Will Forte, who stars in the film, reminded the Comic-Con crowd that it was fan support that truly saved the project.

P.J. Byrne, who plays ACME lawyer Bill Pellicano in the movie, made a dramatic and funny entrance into Hall H pretending to serve cease and desist papers because the film is “anti-ACME.” He also kept calling Will Forte “Fart-e,” keeping the crowd laughing. Voice actor Eric Bauza, who plays Bugs Bunny, added to the fun by saying the film was made “without the use of A.I. and basketball players,” a playful jab at Space Jam.

Director Dave Green, actress Martha Kelly, and others were also on the panel. Green revealed he was hired at the end of 2019 and spent most of 2020 working on the script with Oscar-nominated writer Samy Burch. The whole process took around six years from start to finish.

The story is based on a 1990 New Yorker article by Ian Frazier, imagining Wile E. Coyote taking the Acme Corporation to court after years of failed contraptions and personal injuries.

Two scenes were shown during the panel. One featured Coyote going through his past ACME disasters, set to Johnny Cash’s “Hurt,” before he sees a TV ad for Forte’s character, a personal injury lawyer offering help for people wronged by ACME products.

The second scene takes place in a courtroom, where Forte and Coyote take on ACME’s legal team, including John Cena’s big-shot attorney Buddy Crane. In true Looney Tunes fashion, chaos follows when Forte tries to demonstrate a rocket-powered roller skate, setting fire to the courtroom and even the judge, played by Luis Guzmán.

The trailer also premiered during the panel, though Byrne’s return to the stage caused a funny delay. He told the crowd, “We took the projector out!”

Coyote vs. Acme stars John Cena, Will Forte, Lana Condor, P.J. Byrne, Martha Kelly, and others, with Eric Bauza voicing Bugs Bunny. Filming took place in New Mexico in 2022. After the film was shelved, fans and creators pushed back, leading to Ketchup Entertainment stepping in to make sure the movie would finally hit theaters.

So now, after years of ups and downs, Coyote vs. Acme is officially on its way, and fans can finally look forward to seeing Wile E. Coyote take his battle with ACME to the big screen.

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