While also managing to piss off MANY filmmakers in Hollywood and likely burning several bridges, including some which haven't been built yet. Several filmmakers have reportedly canceled meetings...
While also managing to piss off MANY filmmakers in Hollywood and likely burning several bridges, including some which haven't been built yet. Several filmmakers have reportedly canceled meetings with WB, and even if WB does follow through with reversing course, I imagine several will refuse to work with Warner Bros since it's so uncertain whether their work would see the light of day.
Overall? This is just the latest in a solid pattern of cancelations with barely any reasoning and little to no communication to everyone involved. That's a recurring theme, the people are blindsided by the cancelation. One interesting detail is they always give an explanation along the lines of "it doesn't fit with the new direction we're taking our programming". After hearing that line this many times and for a variety of projects, I'd almost question if they even have a direction in mind. Not that I believe that excuse, it's obviously just simple greed motivating their decisions.
So I wonder if that greed is worth all the bridges they're steadily burning. At the very least they're blowing cinders around pretty freely and don't seem to care that much about what might catch fire.
Full text: "I’m told Warner Bros. will now let the filmmakers of Coyote vs. Acme shop the movie to other potential distributors. That’s a big about-face from earlier this week, when Warners said...
Full text:
"I’m told Warner Bros. will now let the filmmakers of Coyote vs. Acme shop the movie to other potential distributors. That’s a big about-face from earlier this week, when Warners said that the long-finished $70 million Looney Tunes film, directed by Dave Green and starring John Cena, Will Forte and a C.G.I. Wile E. Coyote, would be shelved indefinitely without any ability to place it elsewhere, à la the infamous Batgirl and Scoob! sequel.
Warners declined to comment, but a good source tells me the decision was made this weekend by Warners film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, along with new animation head Bill Damaschke, after the online outcry by filmmakers and the animation community, as well as some heated back-and-forth between the studio and reps for the director and stars. Warners had agreed to pay the top talent their streaming bonuses despite the film being scrapped, but obviously, everyone involved in this project wants it to be released by someone.
Coyote vs. Acme is another sign of these weird times, one of those caught-in-the-middle-of-two-strategies movies that was greenlit by Toby Emmerich back in December 2020, when the mandate from WarnerMedia leadership was to make as much product as possible for streaming, cost be damned. When current C.E.O. David Zaslav took over, $70 million direct-to-Max movies went bye-bye, so Warners pivoted to theaters. But some internally questioned whether the film played theatrically enough. Contrary to Green’s claim on social media that the film “was embraced by test audiences who rewarded us with fantastic scores,” it actually didn’t test that well, I’m told. And Damaschke, who is formulating his own strategy for Looney Tunes, feared the brand damage of an underperforming film, especially on the heels of Space Jam: A New Legacy grossing only $163 million worldwide. So they scrapped it. Another source who’s seen the movie said it’s definitely good enough to take a swing in theaters, but Warners is understandably gun-shy these days, given its financial situation.
On that point, these whackings of finished films invariably get chalked up to “tax” savings, but there’s actually not that much benefit to the company. I’m no tax avoidance expert, but everyone I’ve talked to on this subject has said that it’s basically a question of when the losses on a film are taken. Maybe scrapping Coyote will accelerate a possible deduction, which is beneficial for a company like Warner Bros. Discovery that is drowning in debt now, but it’s not a big benefit, maybe in the single-digit millions. In other words, not something Warners would do if its executives believed in the film.
But maybe some other studio or streamer will take the risk, so Warners is gonna help the filmmakers test the market. I’m not sure how many buyers there are for a $70 million live-action/CGI hybrid Looney Tunes movie. And Warners, already fearful of brand damage, probably won’t take a $50 million loss in a deal just to make John Cena happy, though the studio is in business with him on The Peacemaker and other stuff. But at least now Warners is giving its creatives the chance. And if no buyers emerge, De Luca, Abdy, and Damaschke can at least say they let them try."
I have the same trouble with it I had with Ghostbusters-but-they're-women. I love the high concept, but no clue how to make it into a movie. But if I had to make this movie, I see two routes. The...
I have the same trouble with it I had with Ghostbusters-but-they're-women. I love the high concept, but no clue how to make it into a movie.
But if I had to make this movie, I see two routes. The first is to use it as an excuse to show a cavalcade of old Coyote clips as video evidence in the courtroom. A bit of a cheap shot, but why not. The second would be to treat it as a hundred percent serious courtroom drama. I'd like the second approach the best, but it would be hell to market it.
Just do what they did for all the villain focused movies that were all the rage for a while. Acme is a sinister company with a sinister plot, the Coyote has a tragic backstory, it basically writes...
Just do what they did for all the villain focused movies that were all the rage for a while. Acme is a sinister company with a sinister plot, the Coyote has a tragic backstory, it basically writes itself, as long as all you want is to fill the formula.
The amount of free advertising it got due to scrapping makes it way more valuable than a tax write-off.
While also managing to piss off MANY filmmakers in Hollywood and likely burning several bridges, including some which haven't been built yet. Several filmmakers have reportedly canceled meetings with WB, and even if WB does follow through with reversing course, I imagine several will refuse to work with Warner Bros since it's so uncertain whether their work would see the light of day.
This is the third major project they canceled in the final stages after Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. Just the latest in a long stream of sudden decisions to cancel projects with little notification to the people involved, whether it be deciding to drop popular shows after one season like The Gordita Chronicles or all of the shows pulled from Max with zero communication to the people involved beforehand, such as Infinity Train. Then there's the mass layoffs at TCM, which Zaslav actually reversed after backlash from major filmmakers.
Overall? This is just the latest in a solid pattern of cancelations with barely any reasoning and little to no communication to everyone involved. That's a recurring theme, the people are blindsided by the cancelation. One interesting detail is they always give an explanation along the lines of "it doesn't fit with the new direction we're taking our programming". After hearing that line this many times and for a variety of projects, I'd almost question if they even have a direction in mind. Not that I believe that excuse, it's obviously just simple greed motivating their decisions.
So I wonder if that greed is worth all the bridges they're steadily burning. At the very least they're blowing cinders around pretty freely and don't seem to care that much about what might catch fire.
Full text:
"I’m told Warner Bros. will now let the filmmakers of Coyote vs. Acme shop the movie to other potential distributors. That’s a big about-face from earlier this week, when Warners said that the long-finished $70 million Looney Tunes film, directed by Dave Green and starring John Cena, Will Forte and a C.G.I. Wile E. Coyote, would be shelved indefinitely without any ability to place it elsewhere, à la the infamous Batgirl and Scoob! sequel.
Warners declined to comment, but a good source tells me the decision was made this weekend by Warners film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, along with new animation head Bill Damaschke, after the online outcry by filmmakers and the animation community, as well as some heated back-and-forth between the studio and reps for the director and stars. Warners had agreed to pay the top talent their streaming bonuses despite the film being scrapped, but obviously, everyone involved in this project wants it to be released by someone.
Coyote vs. Acme is another sign of these weird times, one of those caught-in-the-middle-of-two-strategies movies that was greenlit by Toby Emmerich back in December 2020, when the mandate from WarnerMedia leadership was to make as much product as possible for streaming, cost be damned. When current C.E.O. David Zaslav took over, $70 million direct-to-Max movies went bye-bye, so Warners pivoted to theaters. But some internally questioned whether the film played theatrically enough. Contrary to Green’s claim on social media that the film “was embraced by test audiences who rewarded us with fantastic scores,” it actually didn’t test that well, I’m told. And Damaschke, who is formulating his own strategy for Looney Tunes, feared the brand damage of an underperforming film, especially on the heels of Space Jam: A New Legacy grossing only $163 million worldwide. So they scrapped it. Another source who’s seen the movie said it’s definitely good enough to take a swing in theaters, but Warners is understandably gun-shy these days, given its financial situation.
On that point, these whackings of finished films invariably get chalked up to “tax” savings, but there’s actually not that much benefit to the company. I’m no tax avoidance expert, but everyone I’ve talked to on this subject has said that it’s basically a question of when the losses on a film are taken. Maybe scrapping Coyote will accelerate a possible deduction, which is beneficial for a company like Warner Bros. Discovery that is drowning in debt now, but it’s not a big benefit, maybe in the single-digit millions. In other words, not something Warners would do if its executives believed in the film.
But maybe some other studio or streamer will take the risk, so Warners is gonna help the filmmakers test the market. I’m not sure how many buyers there are for a $70 million live-action/CGI hybrid Looney Tunes movie. And Warners, already fearful of brand damage, probably won’t take a $50 million loss in a deal just to make John Cena happy, though the studio is in business with him on The Peacemaker and other stuff. But at least now Warners is giving its creatives the chance. And if no buyers emerge, De Luca, Abdy, and Damaschke can at least say they let them try."
I will watch this film if it is released. But I don't know how many will
It has Looney Tunes, John Cena, and James Gunn to ride on for brand power. I'm sure those alone will put some butts in seats.
I got two votin’ cheeks right here!
Now do batgirl.
I 100% believe that if Warner gets sold to Amazon or whoever, a bunch of these cancelled films are going to make their way back into circulation.
I have the same trouble with it I had with Ghostbusters-but-they're-women. I love the high concept, but no clue how to make it into a movie.
But if I had to make this movie, I see two routes. The first is to use it as an excuse to show a cavalcade of old Coyote clips as video evidence in the courtroom. A bit of a cheap shot, but why not. The second would be to treat it as a hundred percent serious courtroom drama. I'd like the second approach the best, but it would be hell to market it.
Just do what they did for all the villain focused movies that were all the rage for a while. Acme is a sinister company with a sinister plot, the Coyote has a tragic backstory, it basically writes itself, as long as all you want is to fill the formula.