Wile E. Coyote, the iconic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies character is headed to the big screen for a solo outing titled ‘Coyote Vs. Acme,’ Deadline has learned.
Jon and Josh Silberman (‘Living Biblically,’ ‘Bordertown,’ ‘Deadbeat,’ ‘Good Vibes,’ ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’) are on board to shape the script, which will see the foiled genius put aside his lifelong pursuit of Road Runner to get his revenge on ACME – the company responsible for manufacturing the various complex and ludicrous devices The Coyote uses.
While not specified by Deadline, the title suggests the film may have connections to Ian Frazier’s 1990 New Yorker piece of the same name in which the cartoon character sues his gadgets supplier for its consistently malfunctioning products.
‘The Lego Batman Movie’ director Chris McKay will produce the project. It is not yet known if ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’ will be fully animated or a mixture of animation and live-action.
Created by animation director Chuck Jones and writer Michael Maltese in 1948 as a parody of chase cartoons like Tom and Jerry, the theatrical cartoon shorts and made-for-television cartoons became popular in their own right. To date, 49 cartoons have been made featuring these characters (including the four CGI shorts).