ACME Warehouse

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by Slashfilm

Warner Bros. Picks Up 'ACME Warehouse' Pitch

Warner Bros. is finally getting back to exploiting the studio’s huge stable of animated stars. But is that a good thing? There’s a live-action/CGI hybrid Bugs Bunny film in the works, and a Pepe le Pew film with Mike Myers planned as the voice of the romantically aggressive little skunk. And now the studio has bought a pitch for a film that would revolve around the ACME Warehouse, which supplied so many powerful, misused gadgets to Wile E. Coyote and other characters over the years.

THR says that Kevin and Dan Hageman sold the original pitch to WB, and that the idea was developed with producers Dan Lin and Roy Kell, with the idea of “[building] a franchise out of the Warner property.”

In other words, just like Fox has the Night at the Museum movies and Disney is mulling a similar Magic Kingdom film, Warner Bros. could have just bought a setup that would allow the studio to craft lightweight family-oriented comedies around a place, rather than a person. We don’t know if this would be live-action or animation, or a hybrid. (The latter is most likely.)

And this might never go anywhere, though since the deal was reportedly in the middle six figures I’d be surprised if it was buried completely. Could this be worked into a Bugs Bunny film? It’s easy to imagine a physical comedy based around the simple idea of the warehouse packed with dangerous rocket skates and Do-It Yourself Tornado Kits. It might not even have to involve any of the Looney Tunes characters, though given the option to do so, why not? The movie might even be funny, if done with enough imagination and irreverence.

Source

[EricJ]

Uh, maybe my memory's longer, but I seem to remember ACME Co. executives worked into another Looney-hybrid Warner picture of recent memory?...
(Like, Steve Martin in a bad haircut?)

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Uh, maybe my memory's longer, but I seem to remember ACME Co. executives worked into another Looney-hybrid Warner picture of recent memory?...
(Like, Steve Martin in a bad haircut?)

Yea, pretty much...But if this is done right it could be ok, in the vein of Night at the Museum movies. I really enjoyed those movies so if it's like that, I'll be very excited to see this.

[Walts Ghost]

Looney Tunes Movie Coming From ‘X-Men: First Class’ Writers; Steve Carell Attached to Star

With every other classic property making its way to the big screen, you didn’t think Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes would get left out, did you?

A new Looney Tunes movie called Acme is in the works, with Steve Carell already attached to star. X-Men: First Class scribes Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz are writing the script, and Carell’s Crazy, Stupid, Love. helmers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are in early talks to direct. Hit the jump for all the details.

Plot specifics on Acme are being kept under wraps, though the informal title itself is a clue. The fictional Acme Corporation is famous within the Looney Tunes universe for manufacturing all sorts of ridiculous products that have a tendency to backfire just as Wile E. Coyote is about to capture the Road Runner.

However, THR reports that the new film will not center around any familiar Looney Tunes characters. Variety even describes it as a spin-off. Naturally, WB hopes the CG/live-action hybrid will launch a new franchise. They’ll get some help on that front from producers Dan Lin and Roy Lee, who also worked on this year’s smash hit The Lego Movie.

Warner Bros. has been looking to bring the Looney Tunes to the movies for some time now. The Acme project has been in development since 2010, when Kevin and Dan Hageman — who helped write The Lego Movie — sold an original pitch. In 2012 we heard Jenny Slate was writing a separate film to be produced by Seth Grahame-Smith, but nothing’s come of that news since then.

The very funny Carell should have no trouble fitting into the Looney Tunes universe, whether as a goofball or a straight man. But he’s able to go dark and dramatic, too, as he plans to prove with this fall’s Foxcatcher.

Ficarra and Requa are following up 2011′s Crazy, Stupid, Love. with Focus, starring Will Smith as a con man and Margot Robbie as his protege. They’ve also got the Tina Fey comedy Taliban Shuffle coming up in the near future.

Miller and Stentz have been working on the Terminator TV series, and were recently brought on board the Power Rangers cinematic reboot.

Slashfilm

[Foggy]

Oh so not Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn writing.