Warner Bros. Moves Forward with ‘Acme’ Feature

Warner Bros. is moving forward with Acme (working title), a new Looney Tunes spin-off centered around the Acme Corporation, the fictional weapons supplier whose name was often seen in the original shorts. The film, which has been in development since 2010, will not star any of the recognized Looney Tunes characters.

Scriptwriters Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz (X-Men: First Class, Thor, Top Gun 2) will write the script, and directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy Stupid Love, Focus) are “in early negotiations to direct,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Initially planned as a live-action film, Hollywood Reporter now says that Acme will be a live-action/animation hybrid, in the style of earlier films like Space Jam and Looney Tunes: Back in Action, though the animation would obviously be CGI. Steve Carrell is attached as the lead, a “Steve Jobs kind of character.” LEGO Movie producers Roy Lee and Dan Lin will produce the film. Lin, who has in the past exhibited a tenuous grasp on classic animation, unsuccessfully attempted a Tom & Jerry relaunch back in 2009.