“I don’t think we needed this crazy journey,” the “SNL” alum says of the tumultuous lead-up to the film’s long-delayed theatrical release.

Will Forte felt ‘white hot anger’ when Coyote vs. Acme was shelved: ‘It was so maddening’

"I don't think we needed this crazy journey," the "SNL" alum says of the tumultuous lead-up to the film's long-delayed theatrical release.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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March 2, 2026 9:00 a.m. ET

Will Forte in 'Coyote vs. Acme'. Credit:

- Will Forte tells EW he felt "white hot anger" when he learned Warner Bros. had shelved *Coyote vs. Acme* after its completion.

- The actor wonders if the film's chaotic journey to theaters will help its success: "Everything happens for a reason."

- The *SNL *alum is particularly excited for the film because it's "finally something I could share with my kids."

*Coyote vs. Acme* has endured a harrowing journey in the lead-up to its long-delayed theatrical release — and star Will Forte isn't happy about it.

The *Saturday Night Live* alum, who portrays Wile E. Coyote's defense attorney in the live-action/animated hybrid *Looney Tunes* film, candidly reflects on his reaction to the movie initially being scrapped by Warner Bros. during a conversation with **.

"Extreme frustration, fiery frustration, a lot of anger, white hot anger," he says of his immediate response to the movie being shelved. "But then ultimately, that's mixed with pride in this movie we've done. And also, who knows? Everything happens for a reason, and it is certainly possible that the crazy journey that this movie is taking will help get more eyes on it, because it's a story people know about a little bit. But I don't think we needed this crazy journey."

Will Forte in New York City on Feb. 3, 2025.

John Nacion/Variety via Getty

First announced in 2018, *Coyote vs. Acme* filmed in the spring of 2022, and was originally scheduled to hit theaters on July 21, 2023. Warner Bros. moved it from that date to make way for *Barbie*, and in November 2023, the studio shelved *Coyote vs. Acme* — despite it being finished — to claim a $30 million tax write-off, as it had previously done with completed projects like *Batgirl* and *Scoob Holiday Haunt*.

Later that month, EW confirmed that WB reversed course and allowed director Dave Green to shop the film to other studios who were considering buying the project. In February 2024, *TheWrap* reported that WB had rejected offers to buy the film, and *Coyote vs. Acme *seemed doomed once again — until February 2025, when Ketchup Entertainment announced that it had acquired the movie from WB.

Will Forte details grueling return to 'SNL' for Glen Powell's MacGruber sketch: 'Very little sleep'

Will Forte debuts first 'Coyote vs. Acme' footage at Comic-Con

Though Forte felt good about the work he'd done on the film, the *MacGruber* star says he initially wondered if *Coyote vs. Acme* was a disaster.

"I remember when I first heard that Warner Bros. was shelving it, I had not yet seen the movie," he says. "I had been talking to people before and hearing about the test scores being really good, and then I was like, 'Oh, maybe it's not as good as they were telling me' when it got shelved."

But the actor knew WB had made a mistake once he viewed the final product. "I got to see it. I love it. I was *so* proud of it," he says. "It was so maddening because it was this beautiful, special little movie that was something I would've been able to share with my kids."

Forte laughs considering what other projects he might be able to show his children. "What have I done that I could share with my kids?" he says. "*MacGruber* and all these dirty little movies. So this was finally something I could share with my kids."

Will Forte promoting 'Coyote vs. Acme' at San Diego Comic-Con in San Diego, Calif., on July 26, 2025.

Amy Sussman/Getty

The *Four Seasons* star felt a sense of doom after WB rejected the initial offers from other studios. "For a long time, it looked like it was not gonna come to be," he said. "And then when Ketchup Entertainment came in and saved us, it was so exciting to hear that news. I'm so excited for people to get to see it."

The film will finally hit theaters on Aug. 28, 2026, and Forte is counting down the days. "I can't believe we still have to wait till August," he says. "What's it been, four years? But you know, better late than never. And I thought it was never gonna happen, so I'm so excited for people to see it."

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Forte recently teamed up with Teva to headline a campaign raising awareness for Huntington's disease, which his father-in-law passed away from and his brother-in-law, Douglas, was recently diagnosed with. Huntington's is an inherited condition wherein the brain's nerve cells decay over time, which often affects movement, mental health, and cognitive ability.

"It's this brutal disease that a lot of people don't even know about, but a lot of people have it," Forte says. "More people have Huntington's than have ALS, but everybody knows ALS, so that's why we're trying to get the word out about it, to get some support and a bigger community going to support the people who have Huntington's, and to teach the people who don't have it about it."

You can hear more about Forte's family's experience with Huntington's on the HonestlyHD website.

*Coyote vs. Acme *premieres in theaters on Aug. 28, 2026.

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