Warner Bros. Discovery's reputation continues to worsen, though the backlash which followed the studio's decision to scrap the completed Looney Tunes movie, Coyote vs. Acme, has at least forced them to do the right thing.
We've already seen the studio bin Batgirl and the Scoob! sequel as "tax write-offs," a move which may make investors happy, but has left filmmakers and movie fans alike seething. Coyote vs. Acme, which stars Peacemaker's John Cena and a story by James Gunn, is now being shopped to other studios so a happy ending is in sight.
The entire situation has raised big questions, including what the heck Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is up to. Well, according to Deadline, the blame for this latest decision lies at the feet of Warner Bros. Motion Picture bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy. In fact, it has nothing to do with Zaslav after all...or does it?
As the trade points out, "The only thing wrong with that narrative is that De Luca and Abdy never have had any previous offends of killing a previous administration’s films or finished movies...Also, we understand that De Luca and Abdy haven’t seen the finished Coyote vs. Acme."
The whole thing is mighty suspicious, but remember, it was back in September 2022 when Warner Bros Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels said the media's coverage of Batgirl's cancellation had been "blown out of proportion." What we're seeing now appears to be a result of what happens when businessmen take charge of a movie studio.
Needless to say, many fans wondering what this means for DC Studios and just how much freedom Gunn and Peter Safran will have while creating a new DCU. For now, at least, it sounds like they're safe.
"Can [DC Studios'] movies or projects be killed at a last-minute’s notice?" the trade asks. "Along with Chris DeFaria, Gunn is a producer on Coyote vs. Acme. The Guardians of the Galaxy architect was a co-scribe on the movie. We understand that the filmmaker-friendly Gunn and Safran’s greenlights moving forward are bonafide and not in danger of any tax tricks."
We'll see if that holds true.
For what it's worth, Gunn may have fought for Coyote vs. Acme to get another chance as he recently took to Instagram to share what appears to be a cryptic response to the news. If the DCU doesn't take off in the way WBD hopes, however, we wouldn't be surprised if future releases similarly vanish from release calendars.