'Cocaine Bear': Elizabeth Banks to Direct Thriller Based on Wild 1980s True Case

Elizabeth Banks has landed her next directing project, and it’s an odd story. She will helm the film Cocaine Bear a thriller that will be produced Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Deadline exclusively revealed today. Cocaine Bear comes from Universal and is based on a spec written by Jimmy Warden, which was inspired by true events that took place in Kentucky in 1985.

The true story was reported by the New York Times in 1985 and follows the events of a 175-pound black bear overdosing on cocaine. The bear found a duffle bag that was dropped from an airplane by a drug smuggler, Andrew Thornton. After consuming over 70 pounds of cocaine the bear was later found dead.

Cocaine Bear Elizabeth Banks — Image: Kentucky by Kentucky

The bear has now been stuffed and is on display in Kentucky (see picture above). While we don’t know any plot details yet, we can expect the film to be a weird journey into 1980s drug smuggling and wildlife. They are currently expected to begin filming sometime this summer.

Thats all we know about the upcoming film Cocaine Bear at this time. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for more of all things horror, sci-fi and more.

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