Reality is sometimes weirder that the movies. Proof of that is Elizabeth Banks’ 2023 movie Cocaine Bear. The name may sound a bit confusing, but adding it to that is a question of whether the events in the movie were actually based on a true story. While there are flicks made on nature, crime, and comedy. This one promises to be a dark mixture of all three.

Makers usually promote a movie for being based on a true story to garner more views. But what does cocaine have to do with bears? That has one big background twisted story behind it.

What is the Cocaine Bear all about?

Rightly justifying its real-life events, Cocaine Bear is actually based on a true story. As per Esquire, it all started in 1985 when a former narcotics officer went rogue and started dealing drugs. Andrew C. Thornton II came up with a plan to drop blocks of cocaine into the Tennessee Valley of Georgia. He took off in a plane along with his accomplice, but investigators believe that there was an overload, leading them to throw blocks of them in the forest as well.

These drugs were smuggled to the USA from Columbia and fell into the Chattahoochee National Forest. However, the plane crashed and investigators followed the cocaine trace, only to find a dead bear that was dubbed Pablo Escobar had eaten it all. His end was not a happy one though, since the overdose likely caused a painful death.

The events were no less than a highly imaginative movie plot. With due consideration, Banks completed the project with a solid cast and due precautions.

The cast and making of the real-life based movie

The R-rated Universal Pictures film has Ray Liotta, Keri Russell, Margo Martindale, Matthew Rhys, etc in the lead. Notably, extra effects were used to give a real feel. Since it’s a movie focused on animals, there were concerns about the safety of animals at the shoot.

The director revealed that PETA in fact thanked them after knowing that no real animals were used for the making of the movie. The movie released on 24th February 2023 and will be seen how it fares amongst the viewers.

What do you think of Cocaine Bear‘s real-life backstory? Comment your thoughts.