Shelved Looney Tunes film Coyote vs. Acme finally gets UK cinema release
The long-delayed comedy, starring John Cena and Will Forte, arrives in UK and Irish cinemas this month
The Looney Tunes film Coyote vs. Acme, which was shelved after being completed, is finally coming to UK and Irish cinemas.
The film opens on 28 August, with preview screenings from 21 August. It stars Will Forte and John Cena alongside Wile E. Coyote, turning the cartoon character’s endless battle with ACME into a courtroom comedy.
After years of failed attempts to catch the Road Runner, Wile E. decides to take ACME to court over the company’s increasingly disastrous products. He hires lawyer Kevin Avery, played by Forte, but ACME has a formidable opponent of its own: Buddy Crane, a slick defence attorney played by Cena.
Lana Condor also stars, with Eric Bauza among the voice cast.
Directed by Dave Green, the film mixes live action with computer-generated animation and the classic Looney Tunes characters. It is produced by Chris DeFaria and James Gunn, with a screenplay by Samy Burch based on an article by Ian Frazier. Steven Price wrote the original score.
The premise gives the familiar Wile E. Coyote story a new twist. Instead of devising another elaborate trap for the Road Runner, he attempts to hold the company responsible for the injuries caused by its products.
The film’s journey to cinemas has been an unusual one. Coyote vs. Acme was completed before being shelved, leaving its release uncertain until its eventual return to the theatrical schedule.
Altitude will release the film in the UK and Ireland on 28 August, the same date as its US theatrical release from Ketchup Entertainment. Preview screenings begin in UK and Irish cinemas from 21 August.
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
