Will Forte Speaks About "Coyote vs. Acme" - Dark Horizons
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Last year, Warner Bros. Pictures abruptly shelved its completed “Coyote vs. ACME” project in November for an approximately $35 million tax write-off. The studio scored a major backlash, especially from the film community, for the decision. Within days, they changed course with the filmmakers reportedly allowed to shop around the $70 million-budgeted live-action/CG animation hybrid […]

In an X post this morning, the film’s leading man Will Forte has now out about the status of the project and it doesn’t sound good:

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

[It’s] super funny throughout, visually stunning, sweet, sincere, and emotionally resonant in a very earned way. As the credits rolled, I just sat there thinking how lucky I was to be a part of something so special. That quickly turned to confusion and frustration. This was the movie they’re not going to release?

Even when a movie tests very well (like ours), there’s no guarantee that it’s gonna be a hit. 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 f----- hate it). Or agree with it. And it doesn’t mean that this movie is anything less than magnificent.

You would be so proud of 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."

  • nieceandtowsEnglish
    16·
    9 months ago

    I could be a godawful-terrible-wash-my-eyes-with-bleach movie for all I care. Those kind of movies have already been released. The people who worked on the movie deserve to see the movie out. Somebody please explain how it’s economically more sense to shelve $35 million dollars than release it and recuperate anything above $0? Particularly now everybody’s going to watch it just out of curiosity.

    • brianorca@lemmy.worldEnglish
      9·
      9 months ago

      Some loophole in the tax code lets them write the cost off somehow. But it seems like even a $10 mil recoup would offset that. IMHO if they do this write off, they should be required to release it public domain, since the public is paying for it.

    • kippinitreal@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      9 months ago

      I remember reading that the production of the movie is spun off to a separate new company, which is in practical terms the studio itself. This new company then “leases” the rights to the studio for pennies. The studio then sells stakes of the movie earnings to investors to create funding for the production. Many local/state governments encourage the arts by giving tax credits and/or funding if a movie is shot in their state. If the movie tanks the dummy company declares bankruptcy and no one gets paid, except the studio.

      Perhaps WB realized they can skip the release entirely and make back their money with tax credits by shelving the movie, artists + technicians + tax payers can eat shit.

      I don’t know if this is true since I saw this on the internet. If anyone knowledgeable is reading this, Please correct me !

  • Donjuanme@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    9 months ago

    Ugh, yeah I really wanted to see it, I love most the Looney tunes movies (exception space jam 2)

  • ElJefe@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    9 months ago

    Ok, but seriously, will it not get leaked? Is there a moderately good chance of that happening? I really want to watch this fucking thing.