As Coyote vs. Acme finally gets its day in court, John Cena has a pretty levelheaded reaction to the once-shelved movie premiering in theaters.
The Emmy nominee explained how he “can accept both the positive and the negative” of the situation after Ketchup Entertainment saved the Dave Green-helmed Looney Tunes movie, which premieres Aug. 28 in theaters, from Warner Bros. Discovery following the newly-merged company’s decision to cancel the release in 2023.
“I am hired by an employer to do a task, and it’s my job to prepare as much as I can, be early, be coachable, be passionate, and be reliable. I do that and hope for the best. Those expectations are beyond my control, so it doesn’t make me view the business any differently,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “Keep in mind, it is the movie business. Sometimes, business decisions are things that we don’t see through the same lens.”
Cena continued, “Of course, I want my work seen by an audience. That’s how I can accept both the positive and the negative and get better as a performer. But I don’t own my performance. I’m contracted to do a job, and the person who owns it gets to decide what happens with it.”
Ultimately, Cena rationalizes, “Even if the movie never saw the light of day, the takeaway I have is that, with the things within my control, I got to be there on the ground with people who made me better and people I care about, and I got to do the thing.”
In Coyote vs. Acme, Wile E. Coyote sees an ad for attorney Kevin Avery’s (Will Forte) legal action against the Acme Corporation’s faulty products, deciding to fight back after decades of failed attempts to apprehend his nemesis, Road Runner.
The movie also stars Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, Luis Guzmán and countless beloved Looney Tunes characters. Written by Samy Burch from a story by her, James Gunn and Jeremy Slater, producers include Chris DeFaria and Gunn.
In November 2023, Warners shelved the movie, which was based on the 1990 New Yorker article by Ian Frazier, receiving a $30 million tax write-off. The company also shelved Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt amid the company’s merger.
Coyote vs. Acme eventually sold to Ketchup last year in a deal said to be in the $50 million range.
