SNL alum Will Forte has shared the screen with plenty of talented people throughout his excellent career, from Bruce Dern in the emotional road trip dramedy Nebraska to Kristen Schaal in his Emmy-nominated comedy The Last Man on Earth among many others. In the upcoming film, Coyote vs. Acme, however, he's co-starring with arguably his most enduringly popular screen partner yet - Wile E. Coyote. Set to release this year, the comedic live-action animation hybrid will see Forte playing a lawyer for the perpetually unfortunate coyote who forges a bond with him as they battle the infamous Acme corporation which is responsible for many of Wile E's injuries.
While Forte was attending this year's Sundance Film Festival for Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out, Collider's own Steve Weintraub asked what the actor could reveal about the project. He broke down the general premise of defending one of the Looney Tunes' most iconic characters and drew comparisons to the all-time classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, especially with the mix of animation and live-action. Most of all, he heaped praise on his co-stars John Cena and Lana Condor as well as the talented creative team that features Earth to Echo's Dave Green at the helm with Samy Burch penning the screenplay and James Gunn and Chris DeFaria producing:
"I mean, it was so fun to make this. It came out of this article that I think is decades old. Wiley Coyote is suing the Acme Corporation because of all the different contraptions that have exploded in his face, and stuff like that. And so, I get to play Wile E. Coyote's lawyer, and it's a mixture of animation, and it's like a Who Framed Roger Rabbit? style movie. And yeah, John Cena is so great in it. Lana Condor is in it. It was so much fun making it, and these guys who are making it are so smart. Because you’ve got to figure out where this animated character is going to move to. It was amazing to be a part of it. So, I'm excited to see how it turns out because, of course, I'm acting with a tennis ball a lot of times. There's a tennis ball for an eye-line, and it's moving around. So, yeah, I think, I don't know how much more I can say about it, but I've blathered on for a while."
Coyote vs. Acme Looks To Continue the Trend of Fun Live-Action Animation Comedies
The zany idea the film is based on was originally formulated in the short story "Coyote vs. Acme" which appeared in The New Yorker and was authored by Ian Frazier. Forte will bring some powerful comedic chops to the premise, but the reunion of Cena and Gunn is worth noting as well. Cena starred in Gunn's DC TV series Peacemaker where the former wrestler stood out in the sharply written superhero comedy.
The relationship between Cena and Forte should be especially fun to watch unfold as they lock horns in the comedy. Cena plays the intimidating former boss of Forte who has risen to the rank of CEO of Acme and will defend against Wile E's claims. As a billboard lawyer, Forte's character will seemingly have to overcome his poor reputation and the man that possibly fired him to defend a Looney Tunes character with his own negative history as a threat to roadrunners everywhere. On a whole, Coyote vs. Acme looks to keep mining out the hybrid live-action film genre, especially after Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers proved these Roger Rabbit-type films can still work.
Although he only saw a tennis ball on set while filming, Forte said he was blessed to be in the presence of such legendary cartoon icons in the film. Moreover, he teased that Coyote vs. Acme boasts an extensive roster of Looney Tunes characters to fill out the animated world. Forte told Weintraub:
"No, I mean there are so many different characters from that universe that are involved. It was a real honor to get to act with all these beloved cartoon characters."
Currently, Coyote vs. Acme has no release date. It was originally planned to premiere on July 21, 2023, though Greta Gerwig's Barbie took its place. It's still expected out at some point this year. Stay tuned here at Collider for more Sundance coverage.
Special thanks to our 2023 partners at Sundance including presenting partner Saratoga Spring Water and supporting partners Marbl Toronto, EMFACE, Sommsation, Hendrick’s Gin, Stella Artois, mou, and the all-electric vehicle, Fisker Ocean.