James Gunn Posts Cryptic Response To Canceled Warner Bros. Movie
Earlier this week it was announced that Warner Bros. Discovery was set to axe its third completed film for a tax write-off. Doomed to go the way of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, the David Green half live-action/half animated Looney Toons feature, Coyote Vs. Acme was canceled, despite being completely finished and receiving a good response from test audiences.
However, now James Gunn, co-CEO of DC content at the studio, has posted a cryptic Instagram post showcasing the famous animated coyote, suggesting the Guardians of the Galaxy director might be cooking something up.
James Gunn Posts An Image Of Wile E. Coyote
The image that James Gunn posted on Instagram, which you can see above, showcases Wile E. Coyote in his New Mexican desert home wearing an apron and stirring a pot heating up above a fire. Gunn gave no indication as to why he posted this image to the Gram and simply captioned the post with a red heart emoji. So the question is, did Gunn post this image simply to stir the pot, or is the DC CEO in the middle of cooking something up?
Warner Bros. Shelves The Completed Movie
The announcement that the David Green Looney Toons animated/live-action feature was canceled was a major surprise to both fans awaiting the film and the creatives behind the project. Green himself mentioned how “devastated” he was that the film he’d spent the last three years working on was canceled; the film’s composer Steven Price slammed Warner Bros. Discovery for the decision; and even artists who were not involved with the project spoke out against the studio, indicating creatives’ hesitation to partner with a company that could cancel their hard work at any time.
The Studio Gives David Green Permission To Shop The Film
Meanwhile, James Gunn, who co-wrote the Coyote Vs. Acme script had remained silent on the subject until the cryptic Instagram post.
Perhaps James Gunn knew a little more about the situation than the others did, considering that he’s a CEO under the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella. Mysteriously, today, the studio announced its decision to reverse the Coyote Vs. Acme cancelation and has given permission for David Green to shop the feature around at a streaming service.
Why Did Warner Bros. Change Their Mind?
At this time, it’s unclear why Warner Bros. Discovery decided to reverse the cancelation. Reportedly, the studio was prepared to take the $30 million write-off to axe the film completely, rather than let the feature (which cost $70 million to make) be released to theaters. Whether the studio felt the heat from the artists who spoke out about the decision, or whether James Gunn had any power to change studio head David Zaslov’s mind, is still ambiguous.
Did James Gunn Save Coyote Vs. Acme?
Whether or not James Gunn has the type of sway with Zaslov to persuade him to bring back Coyote Vs Acme, the good news is that it’s happening and now fans will be able to see this Looney Toons feature, which is reportedly a total crowd pleaser. While no streaming services have picked up the project as of yet, Amazon is apparently a strong contender and is looking to purchase the film’s rights.
The entire situation is rather ironic, considering the plot of Coyote Vs. Acme (which James Gunn co-wrote with Samy Burch and Jeremy Slater). The movie depicts the underdog Wile E. Coyote teaming up with a lawyer to fight the heartless ACME corporation. The film’s theme mirrors the real-life struggle of filmmakers taking on a powerful studio, highlighting the potential consequences of executives making decisions that can blow up in their faces, much like the ACME devices in the classic cartoons.
