John Cena, who recently headlined the wildly successful first season ofPeacemaker, will continue working with Warner Bros. He isn’t justreturning for a second season of the DC Cinematic Universe series. The actor will also be starring in the upcoming Warner Bros. movie based on a classic cartoon:Coyote vs. Acme, aLooney Tuneslive-action/animated hybrid movie based on aNew Yorkerarticle (no kidding). Dave Green will direct the film from a screenplay by Samy Burch based on Looney Tunes characters and a 1990New Yorkerarticle “Coyote v. Acme” by Ian Frazier.
Coyote vs. Acmewill feature a story in which Wile E. Coyote has grown weary of seeing one ACME product after another blow up in his face (all too often literally). To restore himself to the same position he would have been in had he never encountered the criminally and civilly negligent ACME corporation and their non-safety compliant wares, he hires a competent legal professional to represent him as he sues for damages under Title 15, Chapter 47 of the United States Code, the consumer product safety rules. How capable of a legal professional? Why, one of those fellows seen on the billboards all around town, of course! Yup, that’s right, he hires what’s commonly known in the legal biz as an ambulance chaser!
Cena will play the former boss of the lawyer hired by Wile E., who is on the opposite side of Mr. Coyote’s case against ACME. However, Wile E.’s burgeoning friendship with his legal representation motivates the attorney to bring everything he’s got to prevailing in the legal action. Cena recently spoke toEntertainment Weeklyabout his upcoming role inCoyote vs. Acme:
“Man, I’m very fortunate because it’s a different role for me, so I can’t wait… A lot of audience members have a different perspective of what I can offer and that’s a really tough hill to climb.Acme vs. Coyoteis one of those situations. I’m really happy that Warner Bros. gave me another opportunity to be involved with something that. Like I said, it’s a different role for me, and hopefully it will have the same result asPeacemaker, it will be a chance to hone my craft on something a little different. I’m really excited for it.”
Coyote vs. Acmehas an additional connection toPeacemaker: producer James Gunn, under the production banner Two Monkeys, A Goat and Another, Dead, Monkey. Cena added, “Gunn literally changed the trajectory of my life, and I thank him every day, and I have full faith and trust in him.”
Related:John Cena Comments on the Importance of Those Peacemaker Cameos
John Cena to Star in Coyote vs. Acme
As far as recent big-screen appearances go, Cena appeared inFast and the Furious 9(also known asF9), released in theaters in June 2021. And Cena also had a memorable turn as Peacemaker inThe Suicide Squad, which was released in theaters and for streaming on HBO Max in August 2021 and was the movie from which the very successfulHBO MaxPeacemakerseries was spun-off.
Meanwhile, Mr. Coyote recently appeared inSpace Jam: A New Legacy, released in theaters and for streaming on HBO Max in July 2021. The recent sequel to 1996’sSpace Jamutilized the live-action/animation hybrid technique expected from the upcomingCoyote vs. Acme,and it demonstrated how eager WB is to create a shared universe among the various intellectual properties to which it holds the copyright. This raises one inevitable question: when will there be a live-action/animation hybrid adaptation of theBatman/Elmer Fudd Specialfrom 2017 by Tom King, Lee Weeks, Byron Vaughns, Lovern Kindzierski, and Deron Bennett? The comic book special was subtitled “Pway for Me” and was narrated by a noir version of Elmer Fudd, who found himself running afoul of The Dark Knight.
Coyote vs. Acmeis scheduled for theatrical release on Friday, July 21st, 2023.
