Director Elizabeth Banks’ star-studded dark comedy, Cocaine Bear, is fast approaching. Since it was first announced, the buzz for Pablo Escobear’s big-screen debut has been nonstop. Not only is the premise pretty far out there and something new for audiences to sink their teeth into, but it also boasts a pretty phenomenal cast. The movie stars Keri Russell, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, Matthew Rhys, Kristofer Hivju, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, and the late, Ray Liotta. Still, even with such a talented group, during an interview with Collider's Steve Weintraub Banks admits that her main concern was her nonexistent lead.
Loosely inspired by true events that took place in the mid-eighties, Cocaine Bear gives a blow-by-blow account of the unbelievable mishap… only, with a lot more blood. When a drug runner drops an outstanding amount of cocaine on the aptly-called Blood Mountain in Georgia, a 500-pound black bear ingests a brick of it before it can be picked up. Coked up, the bear goes on a rampage, leaving a trail of gore in its wake. Unlike what actually happened, if this bear is going down, he’s taking dug dealers, tourists, and cops down with him.
During her interview ahead of Cocaine Bear’s worldwide release in theaters on February 24, Banks talks about the biggest risks with a project like Cocaine Bear and working with Wētā to bring the bear to life. She also shares a moment from Whitlock Jr. that had the entire crew rolling that made it into the movie, ‘80s Easter eggs to look out for, and keeping the runtime efficient and wild.
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