Peacemaker star John Cena is set to enter the world of the Looney Tunes in a new Warner Bros. film titled Coyote vs Acme. As the title suggests, the film will pit Cena against the self-proclaimed "genius," Wile E. Coyote.
For those who may not know, Wile E. Coyote was a central character in several classic Looney Tunes cartoons from Warner Bros., most of which involved him trying to capture and eat either the Road Runner or fan-favorite Bugs Bunny. Of course, Wile E. Coyote's tendency to use the unreliable products from Acme often resulted in him being outsmarted and injured in his pursuit of a decent meal.
The consequences of those misadventures will be focus of Coyote vs Acme, as The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the live-action/CGI film will tell the story of a human attorney who takes on Wile E. as a client in a lawsuit against Acme. Cena has closed a deal to play the lawyer representing Acme, who also happens to be the former boss of Wile E.'s own attorney. Production on the Looney Tunes movie in expected begin in New Mexico in late March 2022.
As fans know, Cena is currently starring in the recently-renewed Peacemaker series as the titular anti-hero. The HBO Max hit was created by The Suicide Squad director James Gunn, who serves as an executive producer on Coyote vs Acme alongside Chris DeFaria. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows director Dave Green will helm Coyote vs Acme from a script penned by Samy Burch, which itself was based on Ian Frazier's 1990 humor article of the same name for New York Times.
Cena joins a small group of actors to star a live-action/animated hybrid films with the Looney Tunes. To date, that group also consists of Michael Jordan, Brendan Fraser, and most recently LeBron James in Space Jam 2. Of course, those Looney Tunes films were far from well-received, for the most part.
Then again, Cena has proven himself as a more-than-capable actor with a great sense of comedic timing. Combine that with the talent behind the camera, and perhaps the Looney Tunes will finally have a live-action/animated film that's celebrated by both fans and critics.
Coyote vs Acme is in pre-production.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter