‘Coyote vs. Acme’: Why Hollywood Revolted Against Warner Bros. because of a Looney Tunes movie
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Christi CarrasNovember 15, 2023
Filmmakers unite behind ‘Coyote vs. Acme’, the little Looney Tunes movie that earned a death sentence from Warner Bros. Discovery might survive.
Warner Bros. Discovery has been under fire in recent weeks
Reportedly
dropping “Coyote vs. Acme”, which had already been completed and shown to test audiences.
Amid mounting criticism from entertainment industry figures and beyond, the studio giant later reversed its decision to bury the film, allowing director Dave Green to sell the title to other distributors, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Since Warner Bros. and Discovery merged last year, creating the mega-company and its president, David Zaslav
The decline in the creative community resulted in a grim reputation
for killing movies after apparently making them for tax write-offs.
Warner Bros. Discovery fires high-profile diversity leader Karen Horne
After witnessing the brutal demise of other completed Warner Bros. projects (rest in peace, “Batgirl” and “Scoob! Holiday Haunt”), it appears the fall of “Coyote vs. Acme” was the final straw for filmmakers, some of whom reportedly canceled meetings with the studio in protest
via THR
.
“For three years I was lucky enough to make a film about it
Wile E. Coyote
the most persistent, passionate and resilient character of all time,” Green said in an email last week rack.
“I was surrounded by a brilliant team, who poured their souls into this project for years. … I am beyond proud of the final product and beyond devastated by WB’s decision. But in the spirit of Wile E. Coyote resilience and perseverance wins the day.”
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Zaslav strikes a conciliatory tone against notable actors and writers
Now that “Coyote vs. Acme” has been revived, members of the film community have continued to support the feature on social media in hopes that it will find a new home.
“I saw COYOTE VS ACME and it’s delightful,” filmmaker
Christopher Molenaar
known for the
animated
“Spider-Verse” and “Lego” films wrote on X on Wednesday: “Funny, charming, good physical comedy timing, with a surprising amount of heart. I hope different studios get after it so the world can see all the good work people have been doing.”
“I can confirm!” echoed the producer of “Blindspotting” and “One Night in Miami.”
Keith Calder
. “Dave Green and his team have made a damn good movie. One good enough to keep me coming back to Twitter to support it.”
“COYOTE VS ACME rules so hard, a million jokes a minute, real filmmaking, lovable characters, a movie for the ages,” wrote the “Skull Island” creator and producer
Brian Duffield
. “If this isn’t the goal of studios, maybe we should rethink studios.”
But wait, that’s not all, folks.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) has urged the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Warner Bros. Discovery for shelving completed films in favor of tax write-offs. The congressman called Warner Bros. Discovery took to social media Monday amid the uproar over ‘Coyote vs. Acme’.
David Zaslav Defends Warner Bros. Cuts Discovery: ‘We haven’t gotten rid of any shows that helped us’
“The @WBD “The tactic of scrapping fully made films for tax breaks is predatory and anti-competitive,” Castro further wrote X.
“As the Department of Justice and [Federal Trade Commission] review their antitrust guidelines, they should review this behavior. As someone commented, it’s like burning down a building for the insurance money.”
Representatives from Warner Bros. Discovery did not respond
Wednesday
to The Times’ request for comment.
As streaming services become more economical, changes in programming are leaving Hollywood creators in disarray
This isn’t the first time Castro has gone after Warner Bros. Discovery, which has undergone mass layoffs and a major creative overhaul since Warner Bros. and Discovery officially merged last year under Zaslav’s leadership.
The politician has written multiple letters to the Department of Justice expressing his concerns about the merger of the two companies, stating that the merger “promotes anti-competitive practices that limit consumer choice and harm workers in affected labor markets.” ”
In November 2022, Zaslav doubled down on his business strategy, emphasizing that he is motivated by “more than just a dollar count” of what the company has “saved in costs” in getting rid of staff members, films and TV shows.
“It’s more than just a number,” he told analysts at the time.
“We are fundamentally rethinking and reimagining the way this organization is structured. And we empower the leadership of our business units to transform their organizations with an ownership mentality and a vision of quality and responsibility.
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.