Ian Frazier and Samy Burch on “Coyote vs. Acme”

The New Yorker Radio HourIan Frazier and Samy Burch on “Coyote vs. Acme”Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this storyListen and subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Wherever You ListenSign up for our daily newsletter to get the best of The New Yorker in your inbox.In the film “Coyote vs. Acme,” which was released this week, the ingenious but unlucky Wile E. Coyote sues the Acme Corporation for damages caused by its malfunctioning merchandise. That is also the premise of the New Yorker staff writer Ian Frazier’s original piece, which inspired the film. The screenwriter Samy Burch reimagined Frazier’s premise as a satire of legal thrillers. “What if Wile E. was actually like a Dustin Hoffman character?” Burch wondered. “This guy out in the desert, working on something obsessively, addicted. . . . If this were humans, would the plot make any sense?” The film features actors such as Will Forte alongside Coyote, Foghorn Leghorn, and other “Looney Tunes” characters. Frazier talks with Burch, who was nominated for an Academy Award for “May December,” a drama starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore.Further reading:“Coyote V. Acme,” by Ian Frazier“Toons Have Seldom Been Loonier Than in ‘Coyote vs. Acme,’ ” by Justin ChangNew episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.