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Warner Bros. killed a Looney Tunes movie in 2022, but it's been saved by someone else - and is coming to theaters soon

The Day the Earth Blew Up is the first Looney Tunes movie headed for a theatrical release since Space Jam: A New Legacy. Could that be good news for Coyote Vs. Acme?

Features by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Fri Aug 09 2024

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This week, Ketchup Entertainment acquired the distribution rights to Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up. Per Deadline, there's no release date as of yet, but this is undeniably good news for upon its screening at the 2024 Annecy International Animated Film Festival in June, The Day the Earth Blew Up was called "hilarious," heartfelt," and "truly a gem." But even if the film wasn't so lauded, its upcoming theatrical run is a triumph for fans of the new Looney Tunes or just animation in general...

And it may just mean the release of a movie Warner Bros. has been keeping from us.

Let me explain: The Day the Earth Blew Up is an animated alien-invasion comedy starring constant compadres Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. The film was originally greenlit as a Max original in 2021, but shortly thereafter, was thrown into the scrap heap of content write-offs - becoming one of the products Warner Bros. Discovery so controversially nixed during a company-wide restructuring. Joining The Day the Earth Blew Up in its rubbish bin was a movie called Coyote vs. Acme, a John Cena and Will Forte-starring legal comedy that would see Wile E. Coyote sue the company that was constantly sending him faulty products in his quest to catch the Roadrunner.

Like so many of the other cancelled projects, there was an outcry from angry fans that both Looney Tunes movies be released, along with accusations that Warner Bros. was purposefully withholding projects so that creators would not get paid in residuals. But now, with The Day the Earth Blew up fully resurrected and on its way to theaters, those angry fans have to wonder - could the same happen for Coyote vs. Acme?

Last we heard from Will Forte, the answer to that question is "no." "I know that a lot of you haven’t gotten a chance to see our movie" the MacGruber star wrote on social media, "And sadly, it’s a looking like you never will." And yet, the actor was making that statement in February of 2024, and readily admits that "when it comes to Hollywood business stuff, I don’t know shit about shit." Interesting to note here - those "Hollywood business" types gave the reasoning for Coyote vs. Acme's cancellation as Looney Tunes characters not being "all that important to modern audiences (per The Wrap)," an idea that this week's news seems to contradict.

The answer, like most everything else in Hollywood, will ultimately come down to money. If The Day the Earth Blew Up does well at the box office, then Warner Bros. would find itself with a reason to release its hold on Coyote vs. Acme, and its likelihood of coming to theaters shoots up drastically. I'll certainly be there watching Porky and Daffy kick alien ass on opening day, but until that time...

Th-th-th-th-that's all we know.

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.