In 2021, actress Elizabeth Banks announced her new directorial venture with Universal Pictures titled Cocaine Bear. Yes, you read that right. Cocaine. Bear.
And what’s more bizarre? The film is “inspired by true events.” Since the announcement, the internet has been hyped for this no-holds-barred guilty pleasure movie. The first trailer for the film just dropped and it certainly lives up to its bewildering title. Check it out here:
Cocaine Bear: The Synopsis
As the title suggests, the action-comedy is about a black bear who ingests cocaine (worth millions of dollars) that had been accidentally airdropped into a forest by smugglers.
- In the trailer, the bear starts craving more cocaine and sets out on a murderous spree, terrorizing people who live near the forest.
- On the other hand, the drug smugglers are on their separate mission to find their missing stash, unaware of lurking danger.
“And the Oscar goes to … Cocaine Bear.” pic.twitter.com/G4vDyNCEqT
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) November 30, 2022
The real incident in 1985
The premise of the movie might sound bonkers but it’s completely real. In real life, the bear overdosed and died not far from where investigators later discovered the ripped-up packages of cocaine. But the trailer shows the bear going completely nuts, fueled by cocaine.
- In 1985, investigators discovered torn cocaine packages in the Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest in Georgia, USA. The cocaine was valued to be worth $20 million at the time.
- An Associated Press article from the time of the incident says a large black bear was found dead after consuming cocaine from the packages.
- “The bear got to it before we could, and he tore the duffel bag open, got him some cocaine and OD’d (overdosed),” Gary Garner of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation told the outlet.
- Andrew Thornton, an American narcotics officer, lawyer, and alleged gang leader was one of the key players in this fiasco.
The Trailer: Talking Points
The official trailer does not shy away from exposition, just like the title.
“The bear, it f-cking did cocaine.”
“Apex predator, high on cocaine, out of its mind.”
- The dialogues are all blatant and overkill but in a refreshing way.
- The trailer also shows Keri Russell trying to find her lost daughter and her friend, who have no idea about the overdosed bear in the woods.
- Ray Liotta features in the film in his final role before his death. Liotta is best known for playing gangster Henry Hill in the 1990 cult classic film Goodfellas.
- Cocaine Bear would be a fitting farewell for him, as he plays the head of the smuggling gang in pursuit of the lost cocaine.
- Elizabeth Banks’ directorial filmography includes Pitch Perfect 2 and the 2019 Charlie’s Angels reboot. The movie is expected to release in theaters on February 24, 2023.
- The film also stars Ice Cube, Game of Thrones’ Kristofer Hivju, and Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
- Hollywood studios have been scrutinized lately for running out of ideas. Theaters are aplenty with reboots, sequels and franchise films.
- And here’s a movie that sounds like the executives at Universal Studios put random pieces of paper with ideas in a jar, picked two at random and fused them into a killer blockbuster.
Are we looking forward to Cocaine Bear? Of course, we are. It’s Cocaine Bear!
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