If you've seen the Cocaine Bear trailer that's going viral on social media, you might have questions about the film's claim that it's "inspired by true events." Yes, it's true (almost).
The film, which will be released in February 2023, is directed and co-produced by Elizabeth Banks. In the film, a bear goes on a rampage after consuming cocaine. In real life, the story has a less sensational ending: The bear was found dead in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia.
In November 1985, a bear ate a 34-kilogram bag of 95% pure cocaine, worth $15 million. The doctor who performed the autopsy revealed that the cause of death was: "Cerebral hemorrhage, respiratory arrest, hyperthermia, kidney failure, cardiac arrest, stroke." "His stomach was full of cocaine," he said. "There is no mammal on the planet that would have survived."
It turned out that the man who left the cocaine in the forest was Andrew Thornton, a corrupt officer who had become the head of an international drug smuggling operation. Although he was first arrested in 1981, the police released him in the hope that it would lead them to more powerful figures connected to the drug trade, possibly even government officials.
While transporting cocaine by plane four years later, he noticed engine problems. Frightened, he threw as much cocaine as he could out of the plane's doors and then parachuted. But the parachute did not open properly and Thornton died several kilometers away, carrying 31 kilograms of cocaine, thousands of dollars and three guns.
The film stars the late Ray Liotta in his last role before his passing, as well as actors Keri Russell, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery-Jennings, Alden Ehrenreich and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
It remains to be seen how the film "Cocaine Bear", which we would have suggested to be titled "Pablo EscoBEAR", will be received. :')
