‘Coyote vs. Acme’ cast held a funeral screening after Warner Bros. shelved the film

The long troubled journey of Coyote vs. Acme took an unusually emotional turn when members of the cast and crew gathered for what they jokingly called a funeral screening. The event took place after Warner Bros. shelved the completed film, leaving the filmmakers uncertain about whether audiences would ever get the chance to see their work.

The live action and animation comedy had already generated considerable interest because it brought the iconic Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote into a feature length story involving the Acme Corporation. After years of development and production, the project faced an uncertain future when Warner Bros. decided not to release it.

That uncertainty eventually led to the unusual screening described by director Dave Green and star Lana Condor. Speaking with Variety at the film's Los Angeles premiere, Condor recalled the gathering as an intensely difficult experience for everyone involved.

Condor said the situation made it easy for members of the production to question themselves after the film was shelved. She also described feeling devastated for the hundreds of people who had invested years of work in the project.

For Green, the screening carried a similarly complicated emotional weight. He said there were many occasions when he believed Coyote vs. Acme would never reach the public. Despite the circumstances surrounding the gathering, he remembered the atmosphere as surprisingly celebratory.

Green compared the occasion to a New Orleans funeral, where grief can exist alongside music, community and celebration. The screening allowed the filmmakers to gather with friends and fellow filmmakers and finally experience the completed project together.

The occasion was especially significant for Green because Condor and Will Forte had not previously seen the final version of the movie. Green said being able to share that moment with them made the screening particularly charged.

The film's eventual rescue changed the story considerably. After Warner Bros. shelved the project, Ketchup Entertainment acquired the movie from the studio in March 2025. The independent distributor subsequently set the film for a theatrical release, giving the production a second chance after its uncertain period.

Coyote vs. Acme centres on Wile E. Coyote as he takes the Acme Corporation to court after its products repeatedly cause him injuries. The story combines live action performances with animation, creating a courtroom comedy around one of the most recognisable characters from the Looney Tunes catalogue.

Condor and Forte lead the cast, with John Cena, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, Luis Guzmán, P.J. Byrne and John Early also appearing. Eric Bauza provides the voice of Wile E. Coyote.

The film's difficult release history has become part of its identity, particularly after the project went from a shelved Warner Bros. production to a film acquired by another distributor. What began as a gathering held in case the movie was never publicly released ultimately became a memorable chapter before its theatrical arrival.

After years of uncertainty, the cast and crew finally have the opportunity to see audiences experience the film they feared had been lost.