‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Director, ‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’ Creator’s ‘Hex’ Lands at 20th Century (Exclusive)
Two players in the geek space have teamed up to put a Hex on 20th Century Studios.
Dave Green, the director behind the infamous Coyote vs. Acme, and BenDavid Grabinski, the creator of the animated Netflix series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, have sold a pitch titled Hex to the Walt Disney Studios division.
Green is attached to direct, while Grabinski will write the script.
Andrew Lazar will produce the feature, with Mal Smith acting as co-producer. Grabinski will be an exec producer.
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Details are being kept under the traveler’s hat but does involve dark magic coming to an already unusual town.
Knowing the previous work of this creative team, expect a subversive twist on the material.
The gathering of Grabinski, Lazar and 20th is a reteaming of the squad behind Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, a unique buddy action movie that has a time travel element. The movie, written and directed by Grabinski and now in post, and will debut next year.
Grabinski’s Scott Pilgrim anime series reworked the 2010 Scott Pilgrim vs the World movie to offer a new perspective on the material and the graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley, generating acclaim and a strong following. He also created a revival of teen horror anthology Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Green, meanwhile, directed 2016’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, but in recent years has become known for the brouhaha caused by the Coyote vs. Acme movie.
The live-action animation hybrid, starring John Cena and Lana Condor, was made by Warner Bros. but then shelved in 2023 for tax purposes in the wake of the company’s merger with Discovery. The movie became a cause célèbre for the downtrodden treatment of the creative class in Hollywood, with many names coming out in support of the movie and its dastardly fate.
Grabinski was among the staunchest supporters of Green during the ordeal and helped shape public perception of the feature, pushing back at the notion it was canceled due to quality issues.
“Coyote vs. Acme is a great movie,” was one post Grabinski made on social media shortly after Warners scraped the film. “The best of its kind since [Who Framed] Roger Rabbit … The leads are super likable. It’s beautifully shot. The animation is great. The ending makes everyone fucking cry. I thought the goal of this business was to make hit movies?”
Coyote vs. Acme was eventually picked up for theatrical release by Ketchup Entertainment, which will now open the movie in August 2026.
Green is repped by UTA, Kaplan/Perrone, Hirsch Wallerstein. Grabinski is repped by CAA and Kaplan/Perrone.
(Aaron Couch contributed to this report.)
