James Gunn, director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films and all around interesting guy, has signed on to co-write the script for an upcoming movie based on the classic Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote. That's an intriguing idea on its own, but the actual premise may end up turning more than a few heads.
As part of a blanket release date announcement for several of their upcoming films, Warner Bros. Pictures included a bit of a surprise when they mentioned a new live-action/animation hybrid film titled Coyote vs. Acme. The title may sound familiar to long time New Yorker readers, as it shares both a name and a setting with a similarly titled 1990 article by Ian Frazier. The original article, called Coyote V. Acme, is presented as a court case where the titular Wile E. Coyote himself seeks damages against the fictional "Acme" company, whose products he had been using to varying degrees of failure his entire cartoon career.
Dave Green, perhaps best known for directing 2016's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows as well as a number of music videos, was named as director while Gunn joined the writing team. Gunn is also attached as producer alongside Mad Max: Fury Road executive producer Chris DeFaria, which may not be a coincidence considering the other films addressed during the same announcement. A prequel to Fury Road titled Furiosa also received a release date alongside an adaptation of the musical The Color Purple.
There's something profoundly unique about the vibe Gunn brings to his movies, whether as a director or writer. From his work on the critically acclaimed Guardians of the Galaxy series to 2002's divisive (and almost R-rated) Scooby-Doo, there's a certain amount of self-awareness that comes with a Gunn production. Given the deadpan nature of the original article, it's difficult to say what sort of film audiences can expect, especially combined with Green's directing. So perhaps the wait will be part of the experience.
It feels rather hopeful to see announcements like this, projecting releases for times where certain aspects of the world are widely expected to be "back to normal." 2023 is a long way off, so thinking about something that far in the future can be a good exercise in nerve-calming. It helps even more that Coyote vs. Acme has such a delightfully absurd idea behind it. Future viewers could use something less than serious right now, even though such projects like Eddie Murphy's Coming 2 America are still on the horizon.
Warner Bros. Pictures has slated all 3 films for 2023, giving audiences plenty of time to build up their enthusiasm and anticipation. The Harvey Birdman-esque premise alone may be more than enough to draw a decent amount of attention, so the talent behind it is just icing on the cake. Fans of straight-faced but high-laugh humor may wish to keep an eye on this one.
Coyote vs. Acme is currently set to release on July 21, 2023, while Furiosa and The Color Purple are looking at June 23 and December 20, respectively.
Source: Deadline