Will Forte has signed on to star opposite John Cena and Looney Tune Wile E. Coyote in Coyote vs Acme, a live-action/CG animation hybrid feature from Warner Bros.
Dave Green, who previously helmed Earth to Echo and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, is directing.
The infamously hapless canine takes center stage in the story, which sees him sue the Acme Corporation for the not-quite-in-working-order devices he has received from them over the years in his quest to best his nemesis and potential meal, the Road Runner, as seen in the classic cartoons.
The feature will tell the story of a down-on-his-luck (human) attorney who takes on Wile E. as a client in his suit, only to discover that his boss at his former law firm is representing Acme.
Forte will play the legal eagle, with Cena playing his formidable past employer.
Screenwriter Samy Burch penned the latest draft of the script based on the New Yorker humor article “Coyote v. Acme” by Ian Frazier, published in 1990
Chris DeFaria and James Gunn are producing the feature, which is due to begin shooting in New Mexico later this month.
Forte made a name for himself during his decadelong stint on Saturday Night Live. More, recently, he starred in Fox comedy The Last Man on Earth, which earned him three Emmy nominations — two for acting, one for writing — while also doing a slew of voice work in film and television. He reprised his most famous creation, MacGruber, for a Peacock series by the same name that hit in December.
He is repped by UTA and Rise Management.
