Will We Ever Get A Cocaine Bear Sequel?
No 2023 movie has made a stir quite like the instantly iconic Cocaine Bear. After achieving almost instant popularity upon its release, talk of a sequel has already started circulating through the media.
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00:00 No 2023 movie has made a stir quite like the instantly iconic "Cocaine Bear."
00:06 After achieving almost instant popularity upon its release, talk of a sequel has already
00:10 started circulating through the media.
00:12 People say truth is stranger than fiction, but the story in 2023's "Cocaine Bear" is
00:17 definitely more interesting than the true story behind it.
00:21 In real life, the bear dubbed "Pablo Escobar" ate a bunch of coke that was dumped from a
00:25 drug-smuggling plane and died from an overdose.
00:28 In the vision of bloody mayhem created by director Elizabeth Banks and writer Jimmy
00:32 Worden, though, the bear in question went on a drug-fueled murder spree, mauling anyone
00:37 who got in her way.
00:39 Even Margot Martindale wasn't safe.
00:41 "Cocaine Bear" landed in the zeitgeist earlier this year, taking X, then known as Twitter,
00:46 by storm before its release, thanks to its wild title and even wilder premise.
00:51 With so many anticipating the film's release, it ultimately grossed over $87 million at
00:56 the box office.
00:57 Since the film was relatively low-budget, with an attention-grabbing, genre-blending
01:01 concept that had a solid theatrical haul, you'd think studio executives would be eager
01:06 to put out a sequel.
01:07 While no follow-up movie is officially in the works yet, both Banks and producer Phil
01:11 Lord have hinted that they're open to making another movie in the vein of "Cocaine Bear."
01:15 "Could you imagine that?
01:17 Daring cocaine?"
01:19 Given that Elizabeth Banks' horror comedy only came out in February 2023, even if a
01:23 sequel was greenlit, it would still be quite a while before we get to see it.
01:27 Additionally, as Banks noted to Rolling Stone, this delay was only extended by the writer's
01:32 strikes that went on in Hollywood throughout the summer of 2023, which Banks told Rolling
01:37 Stone put a halt on the creation of any concept for a "Cocaine Bear" follow-up.
01:42 Banks expressed support for the professional guilds involved in the labor movement in the
01:45 same interview, noting that she grew up in a union family and that she saw the ongoing
01:49 strike as the only opportunity for the writers to achieve the goals they've set.
01:53 However, as a deal to end the strike was reached in September 2023, this particular roadblock
01:59 may no longer be an issue.
02:01 Even while an actual script may not have been written yet, there have been plenty of jokes
02:04 about "Cocaine Bear" sequels in the months since the movie's release.
02:08 When the cast and crew of "Cocaine Bear" were asked by Variety to jokingly pitch their
02:11 own sequels, the ideas ranged from "Adderall Alligator" to "Cocaine Dolphin" or "Cocaine
02:17 Rats."
02:18 O'Shea Jackson Jr. got especially creative, saying a sequel should focus on an exotic
02:23 bird called the cassowary, describing it as "the most dangerous bird in the world."
02:29 Jokes aside, in the same interview, co-producer Phil Lord revealed that a sequel is more than
02:33 just a thought exercise, confirming there had already been a pitch made for the follow-up
02:37 back in February 2023.
02:40 Banks herself has been pretty receptive to the idea of another installment, saying to
02:43 Rolling Stone,
02:44 "We had a lot of fun.
02:46 And if I got the opportunity to surprise the audience and delight myself again, I would
02:50 take it."
02:51 For now, it sounds like any potential sequel is little more than an idea being batted around.
02:56 But we can't wait to find out what that idea could be.
02:59 In an interview with People magazine, Banks was asked about whether a new story about
03:03 cocaine found in the waters of New Zealand might inspire a shark-themed sequel to the
03:07 film.
03:08 She responded enthusiastically to the idea, saying,
03:11 "If there's a great story, then sure.
03:14 Jaws with cocaine?
03:15 I don't see how that loses."
03:17 Producer Christopher Miller also mentioned the shark idea to Variety.
03:21 Mentioning that the sequel could feature both a coked-up bear and a coked-up shark battling
03:25 it out.
03:26 It's unclear whether the shark angle is just a fun talking point in the press, or an actual
03:30 story Banks might pursue.
03:32 Curiously, this isn't the only real-world scenario that's arisen about coked-out sharks,
03:37 as Summer 2023 also saw headlines about sharks acting erratically after cocaine was dumped
03:43 off the Florida coast.
03:44 The original film ended with the titular bear going back to its life after leaving a string
03:49 of dead bodies across the Georgia landscape.
03:52 Banks has repeatedly called the movie a "revenge story" from the perspective of the bear, but
03:56 she also had the failed war on drugs on her mind when she made it.
04:00 It seems likely, then, that any follow-up film would take a similarly sympathetic approach
04:04 to the animal at its center, highlighting the way human interference can make nature
04:08 more dangerous than it would be if left alone.
04:11 With many of the characters of the original cast killed off throughout Cocaine Bear's
04:15 runtime, the next film may be more of a spiritual successor than a direct sequel.
04:20 Either way, we're confident that the creative forces behind the original film could certainly
04:24 keep its legacy of comedic terror alive with the right idea.
04:27 "I think it's a great idea.
04:28 I think it's a great idea."
04:29 -Banks
04:30 "I think it's a great idea.
04:31 I think it's a great idea."
04:31 you