The adventure comedy Coyote vs. Acme will open in Ukrainian cinemas on September 1, 2026, combining live-action storytelling with classic two-dimensional animation, Ukrainian news outlet UNIAN and distributor Adastra Cinema announced.
The feature film stars Will Forte and John Cena in an onscreen legal battle that brings the Looney Tunes cartoon universe into a modern courtroom. The story focuses on Wile E. Coyote, who decides to end decades of exploding equipment by filing a lawsuit against the manufacturer, ACME Corporation.
The narrative begins after the desert rebel endures approximately 1,150 consecutive failures in his attempts to capture the Road Runner. After seeing a television commercial for attorney Kevin Avery, Wile E. Coyote hires him to seek formal legal compensation from ACME for products that consistently failed to function as intended.
The lawsuit targets a range of defective ACME merchandise, including faulty rocket sleds and flawed spring mechanisms. The plaintiff argues that the company's products brought him years of physical injuries, personal frustration, and financial losses. However, obtaining justice proves difficult when the corporate monopoly hires an aggressive defense lawyer to protect its interests in court.
History and inspiration behind Wile E. Coyote
Wile E. Coyote's cinematic origins date back to 1949, when animator Chuck Jones and screenwriter Michael Maltese introduced the character within Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes franchise. The creators drew inspiration from author Mark Twain's 1872 book Roughing It, which described an exhausted desert animal.
Because the character does not speak in animated shorts, his communication relies entirely on facial expressions, gestures, and expressive body language. Film historians compare his physical comedy to legendary silent film actors Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Wile E. Coyote's relentless persistence despite repeated failures established him as a lasting pop culture icon.
The concept of Wile E. Coyote suing ACME was created by American humorist Ian Frazier. In 1990, The New Yorker published Frazier's satirical article written as an official legal complaint detailing the character's injuries and demanding compensation for ACME's defective products. The premise spent years circulating among Hollywood filmmakers before becoming the basis for this feature film.
Courtroom battle between two opposing lawyers
The core of the movie centers on the rivalry between two contrasting lawyers. Will Forte, known for Saturday Night Live and the comedy series The Last Man on Earth, plays Kevin Avery, a struggling attorney working out of an office in a shopping mall. Forte portrays the character's transformation from professional disillusionment to fighting a giant corporation.
John Cena portrays Buddy Crane, the arrogant corporate lawyer representing ACME Corporation. Cena, whose credits include The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, and the Fast and Furious franchise, plays the defense attorney protecting the company.
Cena stated that playing Buddy Crane provided him with an exceptionally valuable professional experience. He explained that the character was an unusual role for him, making him eager to begin work. He added that because many viewers hold established expectations regarding his onscreen work, the project allowed him to alter public perception and refine his acting skills in a different comedic style.
Traditional animation techniques and physical puppets
The filmmakers chose traditional two-dimensional animation over modern 3D graphics to maintain the classic visual style of original Looney Tunes cartoons. The project blends hand-drawn animation directly into live-action scenes.
To help actors interact with the character during filming, the production used a full-scale physical puppet of Wile E. Coyote instead of tennis balls on sticks. Puppet master Dave Barkley, who worked on Star Wars and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, constructed and operated the puppet on set.
The screenplay was written by Samy Burch, who earned an Academy Award nomination for her screenplay for Todd Haynes' 2023 drama May December. Filmmaker James Gunn served as a producer and co-wrote the film's story.
Distributor Adastra Cinema described Coyote vs. Acme as a bold genre experiment that turns classic comedy cliches into a story about perseverance after failure, appealing to both longtime Looney Tunes fans and general moviegoers.
