Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson and Jesse Tyler Ferguson have joined the cast of Universal’s “Cocaine Bear,” which Elizabeth Banks will direct, and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller will produce, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.
“Cocaine Bear” will be Banks’ third feature after last directing “Charlie’s Angels” in 2019 and “Pitch Perfect 3” from 2015. “Cocaine Bear” is based on a true story of events that took place in Kentucky in 1985. Jimmy Warden wrote the spec screenplay on which the film will be based.
The film’s story is inspired by a New York Times article and is exactly what the title suggests – about a 175-pound black bear that died after ingesting a duffel bag full of cocaine.