Back in November of 2023, Warner Brothers announced they would not release Coyote vs. Acme, a hybrid live-action/animation Loony Tunes feature. Despite the fact that the film is complete and has tested well with audiences, Warner Brothers feels they will make more money from shelving it for a tax write-off than they would at the box office. This came as a shock to the cast and crew that spent years creating the film and led to a mountain of public backlash on social media.

Warner Bros vs. Public Backlash

This isn’t the first Warner Bros project to be scrapped in recent months. Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt were both locked in the vault in 2023 for tax write-offs. Determined to save their film from the same fate, the producers of Coyote vs. Acme publicly and loudly petitioned Warner Bros to reconsider. To save face, Warner Bros allowed the producers to shop the film to other distributers. But, just four months later, Warner Bros has announced that none of the bids for Coyote vs. Acme were more favorable than the tax write-off. According to Matt Zoller Seitz writing for Rogerebert.com, these negotiations were “not undertaken in good faith.” Warner Bros would rather take a smaller payout from the IRS than, “risk having a rival turn it into a success, which would further embarrass them.”

Whispers have been circulating online that not only will Warner Bros never release the film, they plan to delete it from existence. These whispers have seemingly been confirmed by Will Forte, one of the starts of the film, when he posted a statement on Twitter, “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.” Reflecting a similar opinion, the voice actor of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Eric Bauza, told IGN, ““I went to almost all of the test screenings that were here in LA and people loved it.” Between statements like these and the positive scores from test audiences, it is hard to imagine this movie losing money at the box office. But the powers that be at Warner Bros seem committed to burring this film that they have already paid for.

I have read countless articles on this situation over these months as the events have unfolded. The whole time, I couldn’t help being reminded of the classic, silent film Nosferatu (1922). One hundred years ago, the iconic horror film was nearly erased from existence. Nosferatu infringed upon the copyright of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. Stoker’s widow sued and a court ruled that all prints of Nosferatu should be destroyed for the offense. Many of the prints in Europe were destroyed. But a few bootleg prints escaped to America and found new life with audiences across the sea. Today, Nosferatu is a staple of film history classes across the world. And the only reason any of us living today have seen it, is due to piracy and it’s preservationist abilities.

Some have called for leaking Coyote vs. Acme online for the sake of it’s preservation. “There is no piracy without ownership,” writes Luke Plunkett for Aftermath. “If we can’t buy or rent the thing, and likely never will be able to do so via legal means, then leaking this movie and putting it on torrent sites shouldn’t be seen as stealing.” The argument is, if Warner Bros does not intend to profit from this film, then they aren’t losing any money if folks pirate it.

Copyright Laws vs. Creative Workers

I would like to note that I am not a lawyer and that nothing in this blog post should be considered “advice.” And I am certainly not suggesting anyone commit any crimes, piracy or otherwise. But I bring all of this up to highlight the general mood surrounding this film and it’s impending deletion. People are hungry to see this movie!

For the time being, Warner Bros has the right to completely erase Coyote vs. Acme and take home a hefty check from the IRS for their trouble. But that may not last forever. Texas Representative Joaquin Castro said on Twitter, “The tactic of scrapping fully made films for tax breaks is predatory and anti-competitive. […] As someone remarked, it’s like burning down a building for the insurance money.”

Lawmakers aren’t happy about giving corporations million dollar tax breaks for self-inflicted losses. And industry professionals don’t like the idea of years of their work disappearing on a whim. Because that is what’s really at stake. Yes, the public will miss out on a fantastic movie. But more importantly, “nobody who did any sort of work on a project that consumed years of their lives will ever be able to point to it as evidence of what sort of work they’re capable of doing, and get more work.” (rogerebert.com)

There is a century-old struggle between the imperatives of copyright and the spirit of creativity. But, for the sake of the artists whose livelihoods depend on showing the world their work, we need to take a serious look at our copyright laws and draw new lines in the sand.

If you are interested in hearing more about what goes into being a creative worker in today’s world, check out our recent post about our 2023 Fellowship Recipient!