‘Coyote vs. Acme' Debuts First Footage as Will Forte Reflects on Salvaged Film: 'I Had Given Up Hope'
'I'm pretty speechless,' Will Forte told the crowd about the movie landing a release from Ketchup Entertainment after being dropped by Warner Bros. 'It blows my mind. You think back to the journey this movie has taken. I had kind of given up hope at a certain point, so this is amazing.'
More from The Hollywood Reporter
James Gunn Receives Hero's Welcome During 'Superman' Victory Lap at Comic-Con
Rebecca Romijn Isn't "Sure" She's Done Filming for 'Avengers: Doomsday' Because "They Haven't Finishing Writing" the Script
'Interview With the Vampire' Takes on New Title for Season 3: 'The Vampire Lestat'
The first footage from Coyote vs. Acme featured a montage of Wile E. Coyote's failed attempts to thwart the Road Runner, which was set to Johnny Cash's version of the Nine Inch Nails hit 'Hurt.' Later, Wile E. Coyote happens to see a TV commercial from attorney Kevin Avery, as played by Forte.
'Have you ever pulled the rip cord of your parachute and only silverware comes out?' the character says in the footage. 'It's not your fault.' The footage led to plenty of laughs and cheers from the supportive crowd.
The film's team announced that Coyote vs. Acme is set to hit theaters on Aug. 28, 2026. Notably, no one on the panel, including castmembers Eric Bauza and Martha Kelly, director Dave Green and moderator Paul Scheer, mentioned Warner Bros.' name in discussing the project's challenging path.
Forte praised Wile as 'a character that never gives up' but added, 'The real hero of this movie is all of you guys sitting in those seats. Like Wile E. Coyote, you guys were an underdog who fought against a major corporation, and because you never gave up, this movie is now going to come out in wide global release.'
Later, the team screened six more minutes of footage, which included co-star John Cena defending Acme in a courtroom scene. 'What I will prove to this jury is that this man, Wile E. Coyote, he is reckless,' Cena says in the sequence. A disaster involving the defense team's evidence leads to a fiery explosion in the court.
Afterward, Forte's character gets a phone call from a mysterious source who sounds distinctly like Bugs Bunny. 'I think I may be able to help with with Acme,' the unnamed friend says. 'I have an associate with information.'
The panel ended with the team debuting the movie's action-packed teaser trailer.
In late 2023, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Warner Bros. planned to scrap the completed movie as part of a $115 million write-down. Social media uproar helped to save the project, which Ketchup Entertainment acquired for distribution in March.
The film centers on attorney Kevin Avery (Forte) representing Wile E. Coyote in a lawsuit against the Acme Corporation over his failed attempts to catch the Road Runner.
Green directed the film from a script by Samy Burch, with Burch, James Gunn and Jeremy Slater credited for the story. The film features Looney Tunes characters and is based on Ian Frazier's 1990 New Yorker article 'Coyote v. Acme.'
'I never thought it would happen, so it just came out of nowhere, and I'm so thrilled,' Forte told THR earlier this year about the movie landing distribution. 'I'm so excited for people to see this movie. I'm gonna promote the crap out of it. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll go, I'll do whatever — go to the top of Mount Everest, I'm there.'
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History
The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience
Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
11 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
3 BritBox shows to watch on HBO Max
Great news, Anglophiles: TV fans stateside can get a taste of 15 popular British television series this summer as part of a short-term 'programming pop-up' between Warner Bros. streaming service HBO Max and BritBox, Britain's leading streaming service, which was founded by BBC Studios and ITV. From Friday, August 1 through Monday, September 29, U.S.-based HBO Max subscribers will have access to a great selection of BritBox favorites spanning mystery, comedy and drama genres, with titles including 'Sherwood,' 'Luther', 'Silent Witness,' 'The Office,' 'Blue Lights,' 'Shakespeare & Hathaway,' 'Father Brown' and more. Access will come at no additional cost to HBO Max users, who will be able to find the British gems in a dedicated section of the platform entitled "The Best of British TV by BritBox." 'HBO Max viewers seek premium entertainment they can't get anywhere else. Through this partnership, we are excited to offer them a premium collection of distinctly British series to complement their viewing experience, including acclaimed series, fan-favorite franchises, standout performances from celebrated talent, and exceptional storytelling across mystery, crime, drama, and comedy,' Robert Schildhouse, President, BritBox, said in a that you only have a few short weeks to enjoy your BritBox titles, here are three new-to-you series that you should add to your next HBO Max streaming session. One of the best British shows you can watch on the U.S., the Idris Elba-led British crime thriller 'Luther' will be available to stream on HBO Max, with season 1 on the platform from August 1 to 30, and season 2 available through the month of September. A Golden Globe-winning Idris Elba plays Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, a brilliant but tortured homicide detective (is there any other kind?) who has a knack for getting inside the minds of serial killers, including the psychopathic murderer Alice Morgan (played by Ruth Wilson), who becomes both his nemesis and unlikely companion. It is unconventional professional methods like that, as well as his own lingering personal demons, that put Luther at odds with his team. Watch 'Luther' on HBO Max now Long before there was Michael Scott (Steve Carell), Dunder Mifflin's 'World's Best Boss' and protagonist of the U.S. version of 'The Office,' there was David Brent (Ricky Gervais, who also created the comedy alongside Stephen Merchant), the hilariously insufferable manager of the Wernham Hogg paper company. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Like its American remake, the British original follows the relatable, mundane but downright hysterical day-to-day lives of office employees, with a cast that includes Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook and Lucy Davis. The first two seasons of the genre-defining mockumentary, as well as the Christmas special, are available to watch on HBO Max as part of the summertime programming pop-up. Watch 'The Office' on HBO Max now Seasons 1 and 2 of 'cozy crime' favorite 'Father Brown' will be available to HBO Max subscribers throughout August and September. Based on the character created by English author G.K. Chesterton (featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936), the period-piece series centers on the titular Roman Catholic priest slash amateur detective who uses his keen powers of observation and his sacred intuition to solve mysteries and crimes in 1950s-era England. Along with Mark Williams as the crime-busting clergyman Father Brown, the cast features Sorcha Cusack, Nancy Carroll, Alex Price, John Burton, Jackie Deam and more. Watch 'Father Brown' on HBO Max now
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Netflix just renewed its must-watch mystery thriller series 'Untamed' for season 2 — here's what you should know
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Netflix confirmed today that "Untamed" will return for a second season, offering fans another suspense-filled descent into the dark heart of the wilderness. Written by Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith, the mystery thriller show starring Eric Bana was initially announced as a limited series. But Netflix seems keen to order more after "Untamed" crashed the Netflix top 10 shortly after arriving on July 17. It went on to rack up an impressive 24.6 million views in its first week of release. 'I am absolutely thrilled that we get the chance to bring another season of 'Untamed' to life,' Bana said in a statement shared by Netflix on Tuesday. 'The response to season 1 has been a testament to the incredible effort by our crew to deliver something truly unique. I can't wait to take Kyle on his next journey. Massive thanks to Netflix, John Wells Productions, Warner Bros. Television and our fans.' Bana will reprise his role as Kyle Turner, a brooding investigator for the National Parks Service who works to enforce human law in nature's vast wilderness. In season 1, the investigation of a brutal death sends him deep into Yosemite National Park, where he uncovers dark secrets that force him to confront a past he's been running from. "Untamed" is Mark Smith's second Netflix show of 2025 after 'American Primeval," a Western thriller that's on the short list for our favorite shows of 2025. So far this year, he's batting a thousand among critics and audiences, as "Untamed" is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an 80% critics' score and 71% on the Popcornmeter. In her "Untamed" review, my colleague Alix Blackburn wrote, "If you're after a mystery that doesn't rely on gimmicks or overblown twists, 'Untamed' is the rare Netflix thriller that keeps things feeling real, and that's exactly what makes it work." 'Untamed' season 2 on Netflix — what we know so far Since "Untamed" only just got renewed for its sophomore outing, details are pretty scarce right now. But showrunners Mark and Elle Smith offered some details about what we can expect from Turner's next chapter. For starters, the next time we see him, he'll have already been working at a few different parks before landing at his season 2 destination to investigate a whole new mystery. 'Elle and I envisioned it as a stand-alone, six episodes,' Mark told Netflix of plans for the first season. 'But then the more that we got into it, it was just such a great cast … it was just like, 'Oh yeah, how do we keep this going?'' 'We've done Yosemite. What's the next park that could feel different from that?' co-creator Elle added. 'Each national park has such a different cultural identity, geographical identity. Being able to explore those places through the case and through Turner's journey is what's so fascinating.' A fresh mystery will accompany the new frontier as well. "We can make the case organic to a different kind of park, a different kind of landscape, [and] not have someone just fall off another mountain,' Mark said. 'Our theme has been that this park is our main character, this park is sort of alive,' Elle said. 'We do want to maintain that thread. Whichever park we choose will be a character, and it will kind of play a role in Turner's emotional frame of mind.' Given the change of scenery, Turner will be trekking into unfamiliar territory that puts him on the back foot. This time around, instead of playing the grizzled veteran, his role will be closer to that of his rookie sidekick, Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), in the first season. As Turner gets his bearings in the new setting, he'll also be getting to know its inhabitants. 'We're going to make sure we populate it with characters that are interesting and help him in ways both good and bad,' Mark says. It's unclear whether we'll see Turner's colleagues from Yosemite reprise their roles in season 2. 'We're trying to figure that stuff out because my God, we loved our cast and we loved the characters that they brought to life,' Mark said. 'In an ideal world, we would be able to pull something off.' "Untamed" has quickly become one of this year's most popular watches on the streaming service. With just six episodes, it's perfect for a weekend binge. Since the first season was planned as a limited series, there aren't really many loose ends to tie up or cliffhangers to explore in season 2. But if "Untamed's" sophomore outing is as compelling as its first, fans will likely be eager to dive into more classic murder mystery twists and turns set against the beautiful yet terrifying backdrop of the remote wilderness. There's no word yet on when "Untamed" season 2 will premiere. Production hasn't started yet, but if we had to guess, we'd expect a likely premiere sometime in late 2026 or early 2027. For now, you can stream the first season of "Untamed" (again) on Netflix or check out our round-up of the 5 best shows like "Untamed" to tide you over in the meantime. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. More from Tom's Guide Netflix's new mystery thriller series is one of the best binge-watches of 2025 so far — and you can stream it now 5 best shows like 'Untamed' to stream right now Netflix just got an intense supernatural movie that's crashed the top 10
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sega hands physical media a win amid Nintendo's push toward digital with Switch 2 game-key cards — Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is confirmed to have "the full base game on a 64GB cartridge"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Sega has confirmed that the physical version of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds on Switch 2 will be a normal old 64GB cartridge like the good old days. There's been some question as to whether Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds' physical Switch 2 copy would come with one of those lame game-key cards that don't actually have the game data on them, but instead a "key" to download the game onto your system via the internet. Basically, it's akin to buying the physical version of a game, opening the case, and seeing a slip of paper with a key to redeem online. Something of a hybrid of digital and physical media, essentially. Anyway, game-key cards have been controversial from the day they were revealed, but that hasn't stopped major publishers like Square Enix, Warner Bros. Games, and yes, Sega, from opting for game-key cards instead of traditional physical media. This trend, coupled with seemingly misleading messaging from Sega customer support a few weeks back, has led to a whole lot of speculation that the Switch 2 version of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will ship on a game-key card. Not so! In an FAQ on Sega's website, it's confirmed in no uncertain terms: "The physical version will feature the full base game on a 64GB cartridge." Sega also confirmed that the digital Switch 2 version is launching in Holiday 2025, while the physical version is due out "early 2026." There will be a standard version for $70 and the Digital Deluxe Edition for $90 that'll come with the season pass, a bunch of DLC, and 72 hours of early access. Veteran Sonic producer says Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds team completely removed items from the game if they were too "stressful" or let players "win all the time"
