Elizabeth Banks’ next movie as a director, Cocaine Bear, will be hitting theaters on February 24, 2023, Universal said Monday.
The film stars Keri Russell (The Americans), Margo Martindale (The Americans), Ray Liotta (The Many Saints of Newark), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones), Kahyun Kim (American Gods), Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth), Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project) and newcomer Scott Seiss.
Cocaine Bear is inspired by the true story of a drug runner’s1985 plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it. The movie finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow … and blood.
Jimmy Warden wrote the screenplay, and producers are Phil Lord and Chris Miller and Aditya Sood for Lord Miller. In addition, Banks and Max Handelman produce for their Brownstone Productions, alongside Brian Duffield. Robin Fisichella and Nikki Baida executive produced.
Cocaine Bear is the only studiowide entry to date on February 24, debuting in the wake of Disney’s The Marvels on February 17 and ahead of Paramount’s Dungeons & Dragons on March 3.