There may be a whole lot more Cocaine Bear on the horizon

Cocaine Bear screenwriter Jimmy Warden says he's already toying with the idea of sequels (plural!) to the stimulant-fueled thriller

By Hattie Lindert  |  February 23, 2023 | 3:02pm
Aux News Adam B. Vary
There may be a whole lot more Cocaine Bear on the horizon
Cocaine Bear Image: Universal Pictures

To those who may not have heard the good word yet, let us be the first to share it: a bear did cocaine. Based on a true story, Elizabeth Banks’ latest directorial effort Cocaine Bear follows a ragtag group in Georgia as they attempt to survive the accidental wrath of a black bear who unintentionally consumes, scientifically speaking, a fuckload of cocaine.

Although Cocaine Bear draws its inspiration from a real incident that took place in the 1980s, screenwriter Jimmy Warden doesn’t see the story as over whatsoever. In fact, he tells Variety’s Adam B. Vary in a new conversation, he already has his sights set on sequels—plural.

“Yeah, for sure. Not just a sequel. Many sequels,” Warden says. “Cocaine Bear in Space is where we would probably end.”

Okay, so Warden admits he’s just messing around with that last part. But the sequel(s) are no joke. “I definitely have ideas for that,” he teases.

Although Warden remains tight-lipped about exactly what ideas he has (beyond Cocaine Bear In Space), he says he thinks that this is a story that warrants multiple iterations.

“The bear’s not the bad guy in this movie. What happened is a product of circumstance and everybody else’s poor decisions,” Warden explains. “I think that is a story that we can continue to tell over and over again. I’d be excited to tell it because there are some really good ideas that we have for the subsequent movies.”

Theorizing multiple sequels is a far cry from Warden’s initial mindset with Cocaine Bear, which he admits was pretty low stakes. Between the cost (ultimately, Cocaine Bear’s $35 million budget primarily went towards visual effects, a.k.a. creating a photo-realistic, drugged-out black bear) and a script that early on sees two 12-year-olds dare each other to try cocaine, Warden said he didn’t exactly expect this project to get the studio treatment.

“Yeah. If I’m being completely honest — maybe I shouldn’t say it — I never thought anybody was going to make this movie,” Warden jokes.

Cocaine Bear hits theaters on February 24.

 
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