The planned Universal project Cocaine Bear will feature a bear on an almighty drugs bender if it follows the events of the true story.
No need for fancy metaphorical or symbolic titles here. Cocaine Bear, set to be directed by Elizabeth Banks and produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, may well be a film about a bear on cocaine.
It’s based on a true story, and the report as to the film’s existence explains that ‘as reported in 1985 by The New York Time … a 175-pound black bear consumed the contents of a duffle bag filled with more than 70 pounds of cocaine that was dropped from an airplane by a local drug smuggler, Andrew Thornton. The bear was later found dead of an apparent drug overdose.’
If nothing else it’s an interesting premise, plus the influence of Miller and Lord’s subversive presence means there are always other potential layers waiting to be explored. Banks’ previous directing credits are Pitch Perfect 2 and the Charlie’s Angels remake.
No plot or casting details have been shared yet, although it seems that this project has been in development for a while, with the creative team behind 2019’s excellent Ready Or Not previously working on a different iteration. Cocaine Bear is reportedly set to shoot this summer. We’ll keep you posted as we hear more.
The Hollywood Reporter
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