Elizabeth Banks to Direct Movie Based on True Story of ‘Cocaine Bear’

Twitter users are going bonkers about a legendary bear on blow.

The phrase “cocaine bear” is currently blowing up on social media—but it’s not just the name of the latest viral meme. It’s the intriguing title of an upcoming Elizabeth Banks-directed movie adaptation of a crazy real-life story. 

As reported in 1985 by the New York Times, a 175-pound black bear consumed more than 70 pounds of cocaine found in a duffel bag that had been dropped from an airplane by drug smuggler Andrew Thornton. The coked-up bear was later found dead of an apparent drug overdose. 

Other plot points have yet to be revealed, but shooting could begin as early as summer, according to the Hollywood Reporter.  That lack of Cocaine Bear plot clarity didn’t stop cheeky Twitter users from speculating about who should be cast as a bear OD-ing on blow. John C. Reilly, who played a powder-sniffing porn star in Boogie Nights, was but one notable casting suggestion.

https://twitter.com/STL_JC/status/1369414867216723971

Cocaine Bear-inspired memes are also surfacing in droves: 

https://twitter.com/ItsTheBrandi/status/1369670136878297089https://twitter.com/SJWReaper/status/1369662026570731530

Banks last helmed 2019’s Charlie Angels reboot starring Kristen Stewart. While that movie bombed at the box office, perhaps Cocaine Bear could capitalize on its early social media buzz to become an unexpected hit.