Star fumes as blockbuster movie ‘deleted’ before release

A star of a huge movie shelved before it was released is speaking out, saying he saw the finished film – and it was “incredible.”

Will Forte. Picture: Getty

The star of the since-shelved Coyote vs. Acme, Will Forte, is opening up to his fans and collaborators.

The actor took to X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) today to post a message presented in four screenshots, which he addressed “to the cast and crew of Coyote vs. Acme” per Variety.

“I know that a lot of you haven’t gotten a chance to see our movie. And sadly, it’s looking like you never will,” he mourned.

He continued, “When I first heard that our movie was getting ‘deleted,’ I hadn’t seen it yet. So I was thinking what everyone else must have been thinking: this thing must be a hunk of junk. But then I saw it. And it’s incredible.”

He praised the project as “super funny throughout, visually stunning, sweet, sincere, and emotionally resonant in a very earned way.”

To the cast and crew of Coyote vs Acme… pic.twitter.com/UdttuEs9J7

— Will Forte (@OrvilleIV) February 29, 2024

“As the credits rolled, I just sat there thinking how lucky I was to be a part of something that special,” he reflected. “That quickly turned to confusion and frustration. This was the movie they’re not going to release?”

Forte admitted that “when it comes to Hollywood business stuff, I don’t know s**t about s**t.”

“Even when a movie tests very well (like ours), there’s no guarantee that it’s gonna be a hit,” he clarified. “And at the end of the day, the people who paid for this movie can obviously do whatever they want with it. It doesn’t mean I have to like it (I fucking hate it). Or agree with it. And it doesn’t mean that this movie is anything less than magnificent.”

He told the cast and crew that they “would be so proud of it,” deeming it “a movie that should be seen, but won’t.”

“Please know that all the years and years of hard work, dedication and love that you put into this movie shows in every frame,” he shared. “That’s all folks.”

News broke in November that Coyote vs. Acme — which had been slated for a July 2023 cinema release date that ended up being granted to Barbie — was being shelved in exchange for a tax write-off, per Deadline.

Forte’s post arrives nearly three weeks after TheWrap published a report revealing that after deciding to shop the film to other studios instead, Warner Bros. had allegedly shot down offers from Netflix, Paramount, and Amazon. Only time will tell if the film secures a buyer.

Actor Will Forte is speaking out about his “incredible” movie turning into a tax write-off. Picture: Getty

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company revealed in an “earnings filing” that they had a $US115 million writedown from projects left behind in the third quarter of last year, though the films involved in this figure were not specified. The outlet reported that the company had said this writedown was part of a “strategic realignment plan associated with the Warner Bros Pictures Animation group.”

The live-action/animated project starred Forte as Wile E. Coyote’s lawyer, and also featured the talents of Lana Condor and John Cena, the latter of whom played Acme’s CEO, per TVLine. Coyote vs. Acme’s editor, Carsten Kurpanek, thanked Forte in the comments section of his post for his thoughtful words.

“You’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever met and I’m so proud I got to edit your wonderful performance,” he added.

Just like Coyote vs. Acme, David Zaslav’s Warner Bros. had also deleted Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, per Variety, the former of which was deemed “unreleasable.” Leslie Grace, who starred in Batgirl alongside Michael Keaton, told Variety that she felt “there was definitely potential for a good film” after viewing an incomplete version.

“The film that I got to see — the scenes that were there — was incredible,” she shared.

This story originally appeared on Decider and is republished here with permission.