The news that Coyote vs. Acme may still have a chance is very exciting—not only for fans longing to see the film (which sounded extremely cool) but for anyone who dislikes the idea of studio execs trashing the work of creatives in exchange for a tax break. That’s been a growing problem for the last year-plus and this possibility for Coyote vs. Acme begs the question: If Warner Bros. has the ability to let brand-adjacent properties go, and if that movie can get shopped around for a second chance, why can’t Batgirl?
Coyote vs. Acme was praised by those who had seen it and worked on it and there was intense backlash at the idea of it being canned for a tax write-off. Batgirl‘s axing saw similar blowback from a lot of angry fans. Looney Tunes as a brand is very important to Warner Bros., so their giving the film the go-ahead to shop it elsewhere highlights an important aspect of this situation: They’re not beholden to what is and isn’t tied to Warner Bros. as a company. If Warner Bros. can let another studio or network host a Looney Tunes property, why not also a DC one?
Let someone else have it.
If Warner Bros. is willing to let movies get shopped around instead of fully killing them, it’s the least they could do for Batgirl. Right now, as it stands, a nearly-finished movie many (including myself) were excited about has been locked away for a tax write-down.
Actually, according to ScreenRant, Warner Bros. can technically still release the movie even though it was written off. That doesn’t mean they’ll do it (and they probably won’t) but it hurts to know that they could have, at the time, let those who worked on the film shop it elsewhere instead of letting their hard work go to waste. Batgirl deserved better than to be lost to the Warner Bros. vault. I don’t even care if the finished product would have turned out to disappoint us. We deserved the right to see the movie and make that decision for ourselves.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
