An upcoming Warner Bros. movie that starred John Cena has been cancelled.
Cena was due to star in the Coyote vs. Acme film based on the popular Looney Tunes cartoon as the CEO of the fictional corporation in another partnership with James Gunn, with the due previously working together as part of The Suicide Squad and spin-off series Peacemaker. However, according to a new report, this will no longer be released either in cinemas or direct to streaming.
As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, the live-action and CG animation hybrid has been scrapped. A spokesperson from WB Studios has given the following statement to explain why the decision was made to cancel the $72 million project:
“With the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases. With this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with Coyote vs Acme. We have tremendous respect for the filmmakers, casts, and crew, and are grateful for their contributions to the film.”
Deadline provides further information on the scrapping of the title starring Cena, with it being believed that the studio has chosen to take a $30 million tax write-down instead of releasing the film in cinemas or onto their streaming platform, similar to the tactic that was used to cancel the Batgirl movie in 2022. It is also stated that the release was originally pencilled in for July 2023, but that was taken by box office smash Barbie:
We’re told that the cash-strapped Warners finds that it’s not worth the cost to release the film theatrically or to sell to other buyers (and there are parties who are interested for their own streaming services; we hear Amazon kicked the tires). After reporting a mixed third quarter, the best means for Warners money is a tax write-off. At one point, Coyote vs. Acme was dated for theatrical release on July 21, 2023, before getting pulled; that date was taken by Barbie, which went on to become Warner Bros’ biggest hit of all-time at $1.4 billion worldwide.
Dave Green, who was the director of Coyote vs. Acme, said the following on social media regarding the news that his project would not be seen:
“For three years, I was lucky enough to make a movie about Wile E. Coyote, the most persistent, passionate, and resilient character of all time. I was surrounded by a brilliant team, who poured their souls into this project. We were all determined to honor the legacies of these historic characters and actually get them right. Along the ride, we were embraced by test audiences who rewarded us with fantastic scores. I am beyond proud of the final product, and beyond devastated by WB’s decision. But in the spirit of Wile E. Coyote, resilience and persistence win the day.
Deadline would report that Green has been signed onto another project with Warner Bros. Discovery that will be released later down the line.
John Cena Finishes WWE Commitments With Shocking Loss
John Cena made appearances nearly every week on WWE TV throughout September and October, which also included a rare cameo on NXT as part of the show that went head-to-head with AEW Dynamite. Having 2 matches at consecutive Premium Live Events during his most recent Run, Cena would first team with LA Knight at WWE Fastlane to defeat Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa.
Going on to reference the fact that he had gone over 2,000 days without a singles victory, John Cena fired up the crowd and promised hell to pay for the next WWE Superstar who confronted him, which turned out to be Sikoa. The two met one on one for the first time ever at Crown Jewel, with Sikoa effectively squashing Cena in the match. With no more WWE appearances advertised, Cena looks to be done with WWE until further notice.
Following the Crown Jewel loss, John Cena has revealed that he required medical treatment.
In a further update on November 13th, the upcoming John Cena may be released after all.