Coyote Vs. Acme Cancellation Causes Federal Investigation?
Warner Bros. Discovery may have taken it one step too far when the studio announced its plans to scrap the already-finished hybrid film, Coyote Vs. Acme. Unlike its cancellation of Batgirl, which caused enough of a ruckus amongst fans, the list of folks noticing the company’s latest tax grab goes all the way to the top.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Texas Representative Joaquin Castro is calling for a federal investigation of Warner Bros. Discovery for their shady business dealings.
Texas Rep Joaquin Castro Calls Warner Bros. Cancellations Shady Business
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share his grievances, Representative Castro called the entire company’s morals into question, noting that the studio has long been in the business of “scrapping fully made films for tax breaks.”
This move, he says, “is predatory and anti-competitive,” as it essentially ensures the company will walk with money in its pocket no matter the cost to the hardworking individuals who made the project. The Texas Representative goes on to say that the case surrounding Coyote Vs. Acme should be used as an example with “the Justice Department and @FTC revise their antitrust guidelines.”
Castro Has Been Paying Attention
This isn’t the first time that Representative Castro has attempted to get involved with Warner Bros. Discovery in an attempt to put the spotlight on their cancelation habits. Back in April, he suggested that there was more to be looked into surrounding the merger between AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Discovery. Having been paying attention since Batgirl was left on the cutting room floor, the Texas Representative was ready to pounce when news circulated that Warner Bros. Discovery would be doing the same thing to Coyote Vs. Acme.
Is Coyote Vs. Acme Doomed?
Since the studio faced tremendous amounts of backlash after announcing that it would be dropping Coyote Vs. Acme from its docket and instead seeking out tax write-offs, backpedaled, with the production now being shopped around to other platforms. But, by this point, it was too late for Warner Bros. Discovery to simply fly under the radar, and, as Representative Castro has stated in the past, “the damage” is already done. What he means is that there will now be a black mark on the title, making it harder to move to a new home.
The Cast Of Coyote Vs. Acme
One good thing that Coyote Vs. Acme has going for it is its impressive casting lineup which includes John Cena (The Suicide Squad), Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth), Lana Condor (To All the Boys franchise), and Eric Bauza (The Fairly OddParents). Penned by James Gunn, Samy Burch, and Jeremy Slater, the Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) directed film also wasn’t at a loss for big-name talent behind the scenes as well.
The Movie Is Being Shopped Around
Part animation, part live-action, the hybrid Coyote Vs. Acme was set to see a fed-up Wile E Coyote fooled by the Roadrunner for the last time and ready to take things into his own hands. Bringing his qualms to the court system, the film would’ve seen the cunning yet unfortunate canine having his day in court with the Acme corporation.
While Warner Bros. Discovery is now shopping Coyote Vs. Acme around to other studios, no news surrounding a potential buyer has been announced at this time.
