Luis Guzmán Says ‘You Can’t Shut Down Good Entertainment’ After Coyote vs. Acme’s Remarkable Rescue

The Coyote vs. Acme star talks about playing Wile E. Coyote’s judge, working with John Cena, growing up with Looney Tunes and why fans helped prove the movie belonged on the big screen.

After years of falling off cliffs, getting flattened by boulders, and watching countless ACME products explode in his face, Wile E. Coyote is finally getting his day in court. One of the people presiding over that historic case is Luis Guzmán.

In Coyote vs. Acme, Guzmán plays the no-nonsense judge tasked with keeping order as Wile E. Coyote takes the powerful ACME Corporation to court. The role puts the veteran actor directly in the middle of a live-action and animated Looney Tunes adventure that nearly never reached audiences.

The film was completed before Warner Bros. made the controversial decision to shelve it in 2023. Filmmakers, actors, and fans refused to let the movie disappear, and that persistence ultimately paid off. Now, Coyote vs. Acme is heading to theaters, giving audiences the chance to experience director Dave Green’s movie on the big screen.

For Guzmán, its survival carries extra meaning.

During my latest conversation with the actor, he reflected on growing up with Looney Tunes, seeing a life-size Wile E. Coyote on set, becoming a judge for the film, being impressed by John Cena, and why the movie’s unlikely journey should send a message to Hollywood.

“You can’t shut down good entertainment,” Guzmán told Nerdtropolis. “Listening to the voice of the public and the fans is very important.”

Luis Guzmán Is Proud Fans Never Gave Up on Coyote vs. Acme

The unusual road Coyote vs. Acme traveled has become nearly as famous as the movie itself. Guzmán believes everyone who continued supporting the film deserves credit for helping it reach theaters.

“I’m proud to be representing it,” Guzmán said. “I’m proud of all those involved and I’m proud of fans of the movie, of the public.”

He recalled the filmmakers and performers believing that audiences deserved to see what they had created.

“I’m over the moon that it’s going to be on the big screen,” he said. “People are going to enjoy it the way it should be enjoyed.”

That theatrical experience is something Nerdtropolis has been championing as well. In our Coyote vs. Acme review, I called the finished film “pure Looney Tunes magic worth fighting for,” praising its mix of classic cartoon chaos, heart and live-action comedy.

Guzmán’s enthusiasm also mirrors what Emmy-winning voice actor Eric Bauza told me during our full Coyote vs. Acme interview. Bauza, who voices 10 Looney Tunes characters in the movie, called its release both a celebration and a “call to action” for audiences who want more original family entertainment in theaters.

For Guzmán, being part of that victory also brought his childhood full circle.

“These are guys, these characters I grew up with,” he said. “Here I am as a judge presiding over a case with Wile E. Coyote in my courtroom. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It’s like full circle for me here.”

Which Looney Tunes Characters Did Luis Guzmán Love Growing Up?

Guzmán has been watching Looney Tunes for a very long time, although he jokingly exaggerated exactly how long.

“I was a kid,” Guzmán said. “It was like 400 years ago.”

Among the enormous Looney Tunes roster, two characters immediately came to mind.

“My favorite, I love Pepé Le Pew,” he said. “I thought he was hysterical. I also love Speedy Gonzales.”

Speedy held a particularly meaningful place for Guzmán.

“As a Latino and to see a Latin character, I said, ‘Oh, okay, cool. There we are.’”

However, Wile E. Coyote always earned his sympathy.

“I always felt for Wile E. Coyote,” Guzmán explained. “That guy unfortunately couldn’t make things work out for him the way he wanted to.”

Guzmán jokingly described Wile E. as an overqualified engineer whose ambitious inventions simply never delivered the intended results.

“This guy was like a do-it-yourself expert before anybody even knew what that was,” he said.

That endless determination is at the center of Coyote vs. Acme. After decades of buying defective rockets, dynamite, magnets, springs and other dangerous inventions, Wile E. finally turns his attention away from catching the Road Runner and toward the company responsible for supplying his disastrous equipment.

Seeing Wile E. Coyote on Set Made the Movie Real

Making a live-action and animated hybrid requires actors to perform opposite characters who will not be completely realized until long after filming ends.

However, the Coyote vs. Acme filmmakers gave their cast something much more convincing than the traditional ball or marker used to establish an animated character’s position.

They brought Wile E. Coyote to the set.

Guzmán remembers the moment the production replaced the placeholder inside the courtroom with a full-size physical version of Wile E.

“They took the green ball out of the courtroom and brought in a stuffed coyote that was like human-sized and sat him next to Will,” Guzmán recalled.

Seeing Wile E. sitting alongside Will Forte transformed the experience.

“I said, ‘Oh, whoa, he really is in my courtroom,’” Guzmán said. “That was cool.”

For someone who grew up watching these characters, the experience went beyond simply making another movie.

“To be in a film and a part of this culture, part of that world, part of that legacy, pretty cool.”

Playing a Judge Had Some Unexpected Benefits

Guzmán’s character is responsible for maintaining order inside a courtroom filled with humans, cartoon characters and the kind of chaos audiences should expect whenever the Looney Tunes are involved.

The actor said his performance combined what was already on the page with opportunities to bring some of his own personality to the role.

“It was a little bit of both, a little sprinkle of that,” he said about improvising.

He also discovered one major advantage to playing a judge.

“It’s so nice that when you walk into a room, people get up,” Guzmán joked. “You sit down, and then they sit down. And then when you get up, they get up, and you leave.”

After decades of memorable characters across film and television, Guzmán admitted that commanding a courtroom was a particularly enjoyable experience.

“I played many roles in my life, but that was pretty cool being a judge.”

Luis Guzmán Was Blown Away by John Cena

One of Guzmán’s biggest surprises during production came from watching John Cena work.

Cena plays Buddy Crane, ACME’s powerful corporate attorney and one of the major obstacles standing between Wile E. Coyote and justice.

While discussing the oversized cartoon gavel his judge uses in the movie, Guzmán suddenly shifted the conversation to a memory of Cena delivering his courtroom opening statement.

“When John Cena gave his opening remarks during the trial, I was blown away by how good he was, how natural he was,” Guzmán said.

“You got to give credit to where it’s due, and he was phenomenal,” he added. “I was impressed. Oh wow, okay, he got this.”

Cena’s Buddy Crane plays the absurd situation completely straight, which becomes part of the joke. The movie treats Wile E.’s lawsuit like a legitimate corporate battle even when cartoon physics, oversized props and decades of ACME destruction begin invading the courtroom.

How Would Judge Guzmán Actually Rule Against ACME?

With Guzmán sitting behind the bench, I had to ask the obvious question.

After reviewing decades of exploding rockets, malfunctioning catapults, and other defective ACME products, who is actually responsible for everything that has happened to Wile E. Coyote?

Guzmán wanted absolutely no part of making that decision.

“I would need to steer clear of this, and I will send it to the appeals court,” he said.

His reasoning was simple.

“It’s just too much,” Guzmán joked. “All I need is a coyote outside my home trying to set me up or something like that. I just can’t have that.”

Rather than risk becoming Wile E.’s next target, Guzmán would send the entire mess to somebody else.

“I would not rule in favor either way, but I would send this off to the appeals court.”

Probably the safest ruling.

Guzmán Wants to Hang Out With Speedy Gonzales and Pepé Le Pew

After spending time inside the Looney Tunes universe, Guzmán already knows which characters he would choose for another adventure.

“I wouldn’t mind doing something with Speedy and Pepé because they’re two pretty cool dudes,” he said.

His proposed crossover would apparently involve less courtroom drama and considerably more nightlife.

“We can go around the neighborhood and feel at home,” Guzmán joked. “We could go clubbing with Pepé. Pepé got it down, you know what I’m saying? I’m sure he knows some really cool spots. He’ll get us in, not a problem.”

I also floated the possibility of Gomez Addams somehow wandering into the Looney Tunes universe, considering Guzmán’s role as Gomez in Netflix’s Wednesday.

His reaction was immediate.

“Oh, I think that would be too much.”

Maybe some cinematic universes really should remain separate.

Guzmán Continues Building a Career Across Major Pop Culture Worlds

Coyote vs. Acme is hardly Guzmán’s first trip into a beloved franchise.

Earlier this year, I spoke with him about voicing Wart in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, bringing one of Nintendo’s deepest classic villains back into the spotlight. You can read our full Luis Guzmán Super Mario Galaxy Movie interview, where he discussed finding Wart’s voice, Nintendo nostalgia, his love of animation, and the expanding possibilities of the Mario universe.

From Gomez Addams in Wednesday to Wart and now a judge presiding over one of animation’s most ridiculous legal battles, Guzmán continues finding himself inside some of pop culture’s biggest worlds.

Yet Coyote vs. Acme carries a different significance because audiences almost lost the opportunity to see it.

“You Can’t Shut Down Good Entertainment”

When I asked Guzmán what Hollywood should learn from everything that happened to Coyote vs. Acme, he did not hesitate.

“You can’t shut down good entertainment,” he said.

For Guzmán, the movie’s survival demonstrates why studios should pay attention when audiences passionately support something.

“Listening to the voice of the public and the fans is very important,” he said.

After everything the movie endured, Guzmán believes it has ultimately reached exactly where it should be.

“Families will be able to see it. It’s a great film. It’s where it belongs, in the theater, on the big screen.”

Most importantly, he remains grateful to everyone who refused to stop fighting for it.

“I’m proud to be a part of it, and I’m proud that people never gave up on it,” Guzmán said. “You’re gonna have a great time.”

Before signing off, Guzmán offered audiences one final promise.

“Coyote vs. Acme, you will be pleasantly, even beyond pleasantly surprised,” he said. “Go enjoy it.”

Wile E. Coyote has spent more than 75 years refusing to give up. In the end, the movie built around him did exactly the same thing.

Watch the Full Luis Guzmán Interview

Watch my complete conversation with Luis Guzmán above as we discuss Coyote vs. Acme, his Looney Tunes childhood, playing the judge, working alongside John Cena, bringing Wile E. Coyote into the courtroom, and the remarkable fight that finally brought the movie to theaters.

When Does Coyote vs. Acme Open in Theaters?

Coyote vs. Acme opens in theaters August 28, 2026.

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