While the situation regarding Warner Bros. and its cancellation of “Coyote vs. Acme” has outraged a large swath of Hollywood, the incident hits particularly close to home for Brian Duffield. Not only is the esteemed horror director friends with “Coyote vs. Acme” director Dave Green, but he had actually seen the film and offered notes on it, per an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I think ‘Coyote’ is really similar to ‘Barbie’ in a lot of ways,” Duffield said. “They are playing with iconography in a really fun, popcorn kind of way.”
When “Batgirl” was canceled by Warner Bros., some sources attributed it to the film not meeting the studio’s standard of quality. By contrast, Duffield noted that “Acme vs. Coyote” had no reason to be canceled, as it had stuck close to its allocated budget and had tested well with audiences. With the reported quality of “Coyote vs. Acme” not being enough to save it from the chopping block, Duffield said that Warner Bros.’ decision sets a dangerous precedent for filmmakers. “I don’t know how you see the movie and then go, ‘That couldn’t happen to me,'” he explained.
In any case, Duffield has already made his decision to avoid Warner Bros. in the future, and it seems like the company’s identity has been permanently tainted for the director. “The people working at Warner Bros. are anti-art and I hope multiple anvils drop on their heads,” he tweeted.
