What happens when a black bear ingests copious amounts of cocaine? Well, you have the real-life event that happened in 1985 and the premise of the upcoming thriller from actor-director Elizabeth Banks to answer that question. The film based on the luscious event is set to premiere exclusively in theaters on February 24, 2023, but fans have the chance to get their first look at the upcoming movie with the release of a brand-new trailer, showcasing the outlandish carnage that the bear gets up to.
The new trailer paints the film as a dark comedy, very much leaning into the absurdity of the situation as well as the over-the-top violence. The trailer opens with a pair of paramedics arriving at a ravaged visitor center for the forest before they are attacked by the titular bear. We gain some context about the cocaine falling from the sky in the forest as well as the characters that will end up going into the woods and into the bear’s domain which include a couple looking for their kids with the help of a ranger, the kids themselves. authorities trying to recover the contraband, and a group of drug dealers trying to recover their product led by the late, great Ray Liotta. It is put fairly succinctly in a voice-over: “Apex Predator. High on cocaine. Out of its mind.”
Cocaine Bear stars Liotta as well as Keri Russell (The Americans), O’Shea Jackson, Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Christian Convery-Jennings (Sweet Tooth), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (BlacKkKlansman), Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones), Hannah Hoekstra (2019’s Charlie’s Angels), Aaron Holliday (Sharp Objects), and Emmy winner Margo Martindale (The Americans). The screenplay was written by Jimmy Warden. Along with being the director of the film, Banks also serves as a producer for Brownstone Productions alongside Max Handelman. Oscar winners Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, The Mitchells vs. The Machines) also produce for Lord Miller along with Aditya Sood, with Brian Duffield (Spontaneous) from Jurassic Party also producing. The film is executive produced by Robin Mulcahy Fisichella, Alison Small, and Nikki Baida.
The True Story Behind Cocaine Bear
Back in 1985, a plane transporting narcotics during a drug run from Columbia lost 40 kilos of cocaine during a crash over Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia. The cocaine was subsequently devoured by a black bear, which authorities later found dead in the forest, with the cause of death being ruled to as one of history’s largest drug overdoses ever. The now-stuffed bear is on display in Lexington, Kentucky with the nickname of “Pablo EscoBear” and is a unique tourist attraction.
Cocaine Bear will be released to theaters on February 24, 2023. You can check out the new trailer down below.
Here’s the official synopsis for Cocaine Bear:
Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild dark comedy finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow … and blood.