Category: NEW MOVIES: “Coyote vs Acme”

Coyote vs. Acme is a 2026 American live-action animated legal comedy film directed by Dave Green, written by Samy Burch from a story by James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, and Burch,^[6] and starring Will Forte, Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Luis Guzmán, Martha Kelly, P.J. Byrne, Kenneth Choi, and John Cena, with Eric Bauza leading the voice cast. The film is based on the 1990 The New Yorker magazine article “Coyote v. Acme” by Ian Frazier (which itself uses elements from the Looney Tunes franchise) and follows Wile E. Coyote as he enlists a billboard attorney to sue the Acme Corporation for repeatedly selling him allegedly faulty products.

Development began in August 2018 with Chris McKay as producer and Jon and Josh Silberman writing the screenplay. Green was hired to direct in December 2019, and Burch, Slater, and Gunn joined the following year. Cena, Forte, and Condor were cast in early 2022. Live-action filming took place in New Mexico from March to May 2022. Warner Animation Group, Keylight Pictures, and Gunn’s production company, Troll Court Entertainment, produced the film.

Warner Bros. Discovery initially shelved Coyote vs. Acme in November 2023 to obtain a tax write-off, but later reversed its decision and allowed the filmmakers to seek other distributors following public backlash. After several unsuccessful negotiations with various distributors, Ketchup Entertainment acquired the rights for $50 million in March 2025, after previously acquiring the North American distribution rights to Warner Bros. Animation‘s The Day the Earth Blew Up (2024).

Coyote vs. Acme screened at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, 2026, and is scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on August 28, 2026. The film has received positive reviews.

In 1992, in a world where cartoon characters co-exist amongst humans, Acme Corporation scientist Dr. Peter Lorre leaks a message to an unknown contact before being captured and imprisoned inside an Acme portable hole.

In the present day, Wile E. Coyote, tired of unsuccessfully pursuing the Road Runner over the years, stumbles upon a television ad for Avery, Jones & Maltese, a personal injury law firm in Albuquerque specializing in cases of cartoon violence involving Acme products. Wile E. meets with senior partner Kevin Avery, who wants to sue Acme over the defective devices used to chase the Road Runner. While Kevin’s niece and intern Paige is eager to take Acme to court, Kevin prefers to settle to avoid a risky trial. However, Wile E. forces a trial in a meeting with Acme’s legal counsel Buddy Crane, a successful attorney and Kevin’s rival from Harvard.

The firm attempts to summon the Road Runner to testify, but he evades them. Meanwhile, Acme executive Foghorn Leghorn warns Buddy to prevent the trial revealing any corporate secrets. After a poor first trial session, Kevin receives a tip from an anonymous whistleblower to meet with Daffy Duck, a former Acme employee who conveys the warning Dr. Lorre sent him in 1992 about “Project Sisyphus.” Wile E. encourages Kevin to believe he can win the same way Wile E. believes he will catch the Road Runner. Though this inspires Kevin, he soon realizes Wile E.’s real motive for the trial was to capture the Road Runner on the stand. Paige meets with Dr. Lorre’s wife Granny, who explains Dr. Lorre did product development at Acme, along with their pet bird Tweety, who is now forced to serve as a mercenary for Acme.

The team discovers the whistleblower is Bugs Bunny, who reveals Project Sisyphus is a product testing program formerly headed by Dr. Lorre, using cartoon violence on subjects like Wile E. to improve Acme’s products for humans. When Dr. Lorre protested the ethics, they silenced him. On Bugs’ suggestion, Kevin tries to get Project Sisyphus on the record by questioning Acme’s head of PR, Tasmanian Devil, on the stand, but Acme’s legal team sabotages him, and the judge dismisses the case. However, Kevin reveals the conspiracy to the press, prompting the government to call a congressional hearing in Washington, D.C. Wile E. only agrees to join when Kevin claims the Road Runner will be there. The night before the hearing, Kevin admits the truth after being badgered about it and scolds Wile E. for his obsession with the Road Runner, prompting Wile E. to storm out. While wandering the streets, Wile E. narrowly evades Tweety’s attempt to eliminate him. Kevin tries to rescue him but gets knocked out and separated.

Kevin rejects Buddy’s last attempt to bribe him into quitting and gives an impassioned speech at the hearing, admiring Wile E.’s determination despite repeated failures. Wile E. arrives, having overheard, and reconciles with Kevin. Taking advantage of Foghorn’s pomposity, Kevin gets him to publicly admit to Project Sisyphus, but Foghorn argues that cartoons like Wile E. aren’t important enough for anyone to care if they are harmed. However, the Road Runner arrives and testifies to the harm Acme products have caused Wile E. over the years and further explains that, as Wile E.’s friend, he misses him and hopes he will come home soon, which moves Wile E. so much that he refrains from trying to capture him. Senator Elmer Fudd declines to pursue federal charges due to Wile E. being the sole plaintiff. However, with nothing to lose, Kevin, Paige, and Wile E. activate the Rube Goldberg-like trap Wile E. had set for the Road Runner, humiliating the Acme team and winning public favor.

On their return to Albuquerque, the firm is inundated with cartoons seeking to sue Acme for damages. Public support and further leaks from Bugs launch a federal investigation that exposes the full extent of Project Sisyphus, leads to the arrests of Foghorn and Buddy, frees Dr. Lorre, and reunites Granny and Tweety. Wile E. bids goodbye to Kevin and Paige, now a partner at the firm, before reuniting with the Road Runner. The pair immediately set off on another chase.

• Will Forte as Kevin Avery, a down-and-out billboard attorney who becomes Wile E. Coyote‘s lawyer. He is named after Looney Tunes animator Tex Avery.^[7][8]
• Lana Condor as Paige Avery, Kevin’s niece^[9]
• John Cena as Buddy Crane, the Acme Corporation‘s lawyer^[7]
• Tone Bell as Sal Maltese, an ally of Wile E. Coyote and partner of Kevin and Dottie. He is named after Looney Tunes screenwriter Michael Maltese (also a co-creator of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner).^[10][8]
• Luis Guzmán as the judge overseeing the trial between Wile E. Coyote and the Acme Corporation. ^[11]
• Martha Kelly as Dottie Jones, an ally of Wile E. Coyote and partner of Kevin and Sal. She is named after Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones (who was also one of the co-creators of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner).^[10][8]
• P. J. Byrne as Bill Pellicano, an Acme Corporation lawyer^[12]
• Kenneth Choi as Oscar Jeon

The Dog Stars is a 2012 post-apocalyptic fiction novel by Peter Heller.^[1]

In a post-apocalyptic world, a virus wipes out humanity. Survivors face roaming scavengers called Reapers. Protagonist Hig, a pilot, survived the flu but lost his wife.

Nine years after an influenza pandemic and a subsequent blood disease kill most of the human population, Hig lives at an abandoned airport in Erie, Colorado. He shares the settlement with his aging dog, Jasper, and Bangley, an armed survivalist. Hig continues to mourn his wife, Melissa, who died from the flu while pregnant.^[2]

Hig and Bangley maintain a defensive perimeter around the airport. Hig patrols the surrounding area in the Beast, his vintage Cessna 182, while Bangley operates the settlement’s weapons and fortifications. Their relationship is uneasy: Bangley regards strangers as threats, whereas Hig remains reluctant to abandon compassion. Against Bangley’s advice, Hig regularly delivers supplies to a nearby community of Mennonites affected by the blood disease.

Three years before the novel’s main events, Hig heard a faint radio response from the airport at Grand Junction, Colorado. He does not investigate because Grand Junction lies beyond the aircraft’s point of no return, meaning he cannot reach it and return with the fuel he carries.

During a hunting and fishing trip in the mountains, Jasper dies peacefully in his sleep. Hig buries him and remains away from the airport longer than expected. On his journey home, nine armed men follow him. Bangley observes the pursuers from the airport and directs Hig into an ambush in which the attackers are killed.

Jasper’s death leaves Hig without his closest connection to his former life. He decides to investigate the transmission from Grand Junction despite the possibility that he will not be able to return.^[3]

While flying west, Hig notices livestock, cultivated land, and a stone house in an isolated canyon. After coming under fire and landing nearby, he is captured by an elderly former Navy SEAL known as Pops. Pops’s daughter, Cima, persuades him to release Hig. Cima is a physician who survived the pandemic but lost her husband.

Hig remains in the canyon for several weeks and gradually earns their trust. He and Cima begin a romantic relationship. Because drought is threatening the canyon’s water supply, Pops and Cima agree to leave with Hig and relocate to the Erie airport.

The three travel to Grand Junction to obtain aviation fuel. A voice from the control tower instructs Hig to land, but he notices a cable stretched across the runway as a trap for approaching aircraft. He lands beyond the cable, after which the occupants of the tower fire at the group. Pops returns fire and kills them. The group refuels the aircraft and continues towards Erie.

On returning to Erie, Hig, Cima, and Pops discover that the airport has been attacked and partially destroyed. Bangley is initially missing but is eventually found alive and seriously wounded. He explains that fourteen attackers assaulted the compound and that he survived by using the settlement’s heavy weapons. Cima treats his injuries, and he recovers.

The four survivors establish a new community at the airport. Pops and Bangley become friends, while Cima begins providing medical care to nearby Mennonite families. Hig and Cima continue their relationship.

Hig later sees large jet aircraft flying overhead, but his attempts to contact them go unanswered. Their presence suggests that other survivors may exist, although their origin and the condition of wider civilization remain unknown. 

The Sun Never Sets is a 2026 American drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Joe Swanberg. It stars Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, Cory Michael Smith, Debby Ryan, Anna Konkle, Lamorne Morris, and Karley Sciortino.

It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 13, 2026, and is scheduled for limited release in the United States on August 28, 2026, before a wide release on September 4.

Wendy’s life falls apart when she insists on taking space from her boyfriend, Jack. During the break, she unexpectedly runs into her ex, Chuck.

• Dakota Fanning as Wendy
• Jake Johnson as Jack
• Cory Michael Smith as Chuck
• Debby Ryan as Lindsay
• Anna Konkle as Elizabeth
• Lamorne Morris as Jack’s friend
• Karley Sciortino as Sara
• Joe Swanberg as Keith