Warner Bros. CEO Committed to Bringing Looney Tunes Back into Theaters

During a Warner Bros. Pictures Animation open house, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chair and CEO Pam Abdy officially declared the studio's "commitment to bring Looney Tunes back to the big screen." Speaking alongside WBPA president and chief creative officer Bill Damaschke, Abdy revealed a strategic effort to course-correct the franchise's theatrical presence. The announcement marks a significant shift in corporate alignment following years of public friction and fragmented third-party distribution deals regarding the Looney Tunes IP.

Warner Bros. will officially kick off this big-screen commitment at June's Annecy International Animation Film Festival with the premiere of Daffy Season. Directed by Hamish Grieve and Todd Wilderman, the theatrical short features Daffy Duck dealing with Elmer Fudd’s new obsession with soccer, timed for the 2026 World Cup. The studio’s broader animation strategy involves a balanced slate of reimagined legacy properties and original stories. WBPA plans to drop seven feature-length theatrical films over a three-year span.

The announcement follows widespread industry and fan backlash over how Warner Bros. Discovery previously managed completed Looney Tunes features. The studio had originally shelved two fully produced projects as internal tax write-offs. Both were ultimately rescued by third-party indie distributor Ketchup Entertainment. The first was The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, a 2D-animated sci-fi buddy comedy starring Daffy and Porky Pig. The second was Coyote vs. Acme, the highly anticipated live-action/animation hybrid starring John Cena and Will Forte that was infamously axed by Warner Bros. management in late 2023. Following immense public outcry, Ketchup finalized an acquisition deal and will distribute it globally in theaters on August 28.