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Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic The last time a movie was marketed with a this-sounds-so-wretchedly-over-the-top-not-to-mention-insane-it-could-almost-be-fun low/high concept, the results, to put it kindly, were mixed. “Snakes on a Plane,” which sounded like a title that Don Simpson scrawled in white powder on a table at 4:00 a.m., was a movie that wore its brain-deadness on both lapels. But 17 years ago, that title inspired mountains of online chatter, to the point that the filmmakers incorporated bits and pieces of the obsessive fan gabble into the movie, most famously the Samuel L. Jackson line, “I have had it with these mothefuckin’ snakes on this motherfuckin‘ plane!” The result was that “Snakes on a Plane” felt like the first piece of brazen Hollywood schlock that was crowdsourced. The audience went in thinking: It may be trash, but it’s our trash.   

“A bear did COCAINE!” screams a frazzled Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich), trying to explain a patently absurd concept like a rational person – and exposing the vast capacity for humor that lies between the two. “Cocaine Bear,” a film that really puts the high in high-concept comedy, contains promise and peril in its premise.

The title says it all. Just like Snakes On A Plane was about just that, the new horror comedy Cocaine Bear is about a 500 pound bear on a jihad after coming upon a ton of cocaine dropped into rural Georgia on a drug run gone wrong. The bear ingests the coke and soon you have a beast roaring out of control devouring whatever human comes on to his path. It is all not to be taken seriously, but fortunately director Elizabeth Banks (Charlie’s Angels, Pitch Perfect 2) is smart enough to give audiences hungry for a ‘Jaws’ in the wilderness, some nice scares mixed in with the laughs plus a bit more bang for their buck than just a marketable title.

director Elizabeth Banks keeps the powder gags fresh throughout, as the mammal maims her way through a Southern forest preserve. The movie about blow never blows.Running time: 95 minutes. Rated R (bloody violence and gore, drug content and language throughout.) In theaters.The hysterical film is based on a true story in the loosest possible sense.

Todd Gilchrist editor On Feb. 24, Ray Liotta is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, just shy of a year since his death at the age of 67. The honor comes the same week as the release of “Cocaine Bear,” the sensational based-on-a-true-story film directed by Elizabeth Banks in which he plays a character she describes as “a gangster … but he’s also an unfit grandpa as well.” That characterization also encapsulates the breadth of his accomplishments on both film and TV as an actor, which range from mobsters and tough guys to loving fathers — and plenty in between. Ahead of the ceremony, Banks tells Variety that she cast Liotta after remembering her experiences working with him on the 2011 film “The Details.”

In an interview with the New York Times last September, actor-filmmaker Elizabeth Banks shared a piece of career advice from Lorne Michaels that’s been of enduring value to her.

. «And so I showed it to her.

Cocaine Bear is a dark action-comedy film set in a small town in Georgia.READ MOREThe synopsis reads: “After ingesting a duffel bag full of cocaine, a 500 lb American black bear goes on a killing rampage in a small town of Georgia where a group of locals and tourists must join forces to survive the attack.”Directed and co-produced by Elizabeth Banks, Cocaine Bear features an ensemble cast that includes  Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Kristofer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, Margo Martindale, and Ray Liotta in one of his final performances before his death in 2022.Oh, absolutely. According to the official website, Cocaine Bear is “inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it.”Dubbed Pablo Eskobear (after “the king of cocaine” Pablo Escobar), the real life bear was a 150lb American black bear who was discovered on a hillside in Fannin County, Georgia next to a duffel bag and 40 half-consumed packs of cocaine.Well, rather than heading out “on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow and blood,” Pablo Eskobear overdosed on cocaine and was found dead on the scene.According to the Washington Post, an autopsy found the bear had around three to four grams of the drug in its blood stream. The narcotics investigators who made the discovery believe the drugs were ditched months earlier by trafficker Andrew Carter Thornton II who had planned to return.However, Thornton died after falling out of a plane in September 1985.

Elizabeth Banks has a special memory of the late Ray Liotta.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor “Cocaine Bear” director Elizabeth Banks is worried about her mother seeing the horror comedy when it opens on Friday. “I’m going to be honest with you, no one knows what to make of it when I tell them about it,” Banks told Variety at the movie’s premiere Tuesday night at Regal LA Live. “My poor mother is the least informed. She’s going to go with my aunts and they’re going to lose their minds. I told her she’s going to be mad. She will laugh and she’s going to love Margo Martindale and Isiah Whitlock Jr. and the dog. Not enough people talk about the dog, Rosette. She’ll love those parts, but she’ll close her eyes for a lot of it.”

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer When Jimmy Warden was a kid growing up in Chicago, he wound up watching “a lot” of horror movies when he was, he says, “far too young.” “I became used to seeing people get their guts eaten or torn out of their bodies, stuff like that,” he says over Zoom with a wry chuckle. “So that’s where a lot of my taste is right now.” Warden’s sensibility is on robust display in his screenplay for “Cocaine Bear,” the R-rated action-comedy, directed by Elizabeth Banks, that is loosely based on the true story of a black bear who died after ingesting a mountain of cocaine in 1985 from a botched drug smuggling operation. Warden stumbled on the account in the mid-2010s while scrolling through Twitter, “not doing work that I should have been doing,” and instantly realized that “there was something there.”

Elizabeth Banks and O’Shea Jackson Jr. are stepping out for the premiere of their new movie!

Keri Russell's new action horror comedy has one impressive ensemble cast. It also serves as something of a reunion of actors — which Russell says might not have been an coincidence.The actress walked the red carpet at the premiere of her new action horror comedy in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and spoke with ET's Ash Crossan about the film's link to the universe — namely through a cast that includes her, Alden Ehrenreich and O'Shea Jackson Jr.«There's a lot, yeah!» Russell said with a smile. «Maybe that's what [director Elizabeth Banks] was going for it by casting us! Yeah.»Ehrenreich previously starred as a young Han Solo in 2018's , while Jackson played Kawlan Roken in the TV series  Russell, meanwhile, played an anti-hero outlaw Zorii Bliss in 2019's Russell's Bliss managed to avoid getting killed in her installment in the saga, leaving fans wondering if they may see her again in a future tale.The actress played coy, however, when asked about the possibility, and left the door open, simply sharing, "[It] could happen!«As for, it also serves as something of a reunion for, as it also stars Russell's real-life love and former TV co-star Matthew Rhys.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson's husband, Justin Mikita, is certainly looking out for him. In fact, the alum says his husband is the one responsible for his scene-stealing role in Cocaine Bear.Ferguson walked the red carpet at the premiere of the action horror comedy in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and he spoke with ET's Ash Crossan about how the gig came about thanks to a fortuitous social media post shared by director Elizabeth Banks.«It's very cool, he actually kind of got me this job,» Ferguson shared. «Because Liz is a friend of mine, I've known her for 20 years.

Elizabeth Banks is sharing her fond memories of working with the late Ray Liotta on what would be his final film.The actress and filmmaker walked the red carpet at the premiere of her new film,, in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and she spoke with ET's Ash Crossan about getting the chance to work with Liotta shortly before his death last May.«He never saw the final movie, but he did see all of his scenes,» Banks shared. «And he saw the bear, which is the most important thing, because the poor guy like everyone had to act with, you know, a guy in a black suit and a stuntman and just sort of hope that it looks cool.»In the high-energy action horror comedy, the titular cocaine bear — for obvious reasons — was created entirely with CGI, and Banks explained that Liotta came in to re-record some audio, which is when he was able to see the finished product, or at least his part.«He came in for ADR eight days before he passed away, actually, and he loved it. He was so happy.

Tatyana Ali is headed back to a town called Bel-Air in a very different role than when she left it! The actress, who played Ashley Banks in the originalseries, joined the cast of Peacock's for its upcoming second season, and she sat down with ET's Kevin Frazier to share her experience with the reboot's cast.Season 2 of  -- which reimagines the Will Smith-starring '90s sitcom as a flashy, modern drama — picks up with Will at a crossroads as a new figure comes into his life who challenges what he’s learned in Bel-Air and competes for control of his influence. He juggles this while navigating his home life with the Banks family and trying to rebuild the trust that was broken at the end of last season.Ali joined the cast in a recurring guest star appearance as Mrs.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man is taking on his scariest adversary yet: a 500-pound black bear on cocaine. Universal’s gruesome action-comedy “Cocaine Bear” won’t come close to “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” in terms of weekend ticket sales, but the drugged-up animal adventure is expected to start strong at the domestic box office. “Cocaine Bear” hopes to take in $15 million to $17 million from 3,500 North American theaters, with a chance that positive buzz could propel initial returns to $20 million. The wild R-rated movie was budgeted at roughly $35 million, which was mostly dedicated to the CGI used to bring to life the coked-out grizzly alongside the human cast of Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Brooklynn Prince. Elizabeth Banks directed “Cocaine Bear,” which is one of today’s rare original theatrical comedies. (But viewers, beware, it’s not exactly a laugh-a-minute romp… unless you’re tickled by blood, blood and more blood.) Inspired by a stranger-than-fiction story about a drug runner’s plane crash, the film imagines the events that would have transpired if the American black bear that ingested a duffle bag full of blow had lived to tell the tale.

Gorgeous girl! Madelyn Cline doesn’t just slay on screen — she also commands attention on the red carpet.

Naman Ramachandran Disney’s “Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania” debuted in pole position at the U.K. and Ireland box office with £8.8 million ($10.6 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. In its third weekend, Universal’s “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” collected £3.1 million in second place for a total of £17.1 million. In third place, Warner Bros.’ “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” earned £888,435 in its second weekend for a total of £3.8 million. Disney blockbuster“Avatar: The Way Of Water” continued to chart with £531,213 in its 10th weekend in fourth place for a mighty total of £75.5 million.

Margo Martindale is one of the stars of Cocaine Bear, the dark comedy action film directed by Elizabeth Banks. The story is based on true events from 1985 when an American black bear ingested a duffel bag full of cocaine.

Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover franchise) has signed on to star in the live-action Lilo & Stitch film from Marcell the Shell With Shoes On filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp, Deadline can confirm.

Nine months after his death at age 67, Ray Liotta will receive one of Hollywood’s biggest honours.

Elizabeth Banks is ready for another installment after Cocaine Bear.

y.  While appearing as a guest on the podcast Call Her Daddy, the comedian claimed that she was not allowed to gain or lose more than ten pounds per her Pitch Perfect contract. “I couldn’t lose a massive amount of weight because it was in the contracts for that movie," said Wilson. "You can’t lose—I think it’s not more than 10 pounds or gain more than 10 pounds.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Alamo Drafthouse is opening a new theater in Arkansas, which will house the company’s first permanent drive-in location. The brick-and-mortar cinema, located in Fayetteville, is aiming to open its doors in 2024. It’s the chain’s first venue in Arkansas and 39th location in the country. “Our mission at Alamo Drafthouse is to preserve, celebrate, and innovate the cinema experience,” says Alamo Drafthouse CEO Shelli Taylor. “Drive-in theaters deeply influenced the Alamo Drafthouse preshow, programming, and design from the very beginning, but we have never managed to incorporate a permanent drive-in into any of our theaters. We are beyond excited to launch the first Alamo drive-in screen in Fayetteville!”

Cocaine Bear arrives in cinemas next week, and now there’s an official companion video game.Cocaine Bear: The Rise of Pablo Escobear sees players take control of a cocaine-fulled bear, who’s out to cause chaos in a series of Pac-Man-inspired mazes.The rules of The Rise of Pablo Escobear are simple enough – eat as many people as you can and, because cocaine “keeps you going”, don’t run out.Players do have to “watch out for the three drug deals [because] they will steal your bags” while bonus points are available for catching ambulances and red bags give you super speed.Check Cocaine Bear: The Rise of Pablo Escobear out here.here is something to entertain you. play as me, and share your high scores: https://t.co/cACSYLGBbj pic.twitter.com/wxb9AwroCV— Cocaine Bear (@cocainebear) February 14, 2023Cocaine Bear is due to hit cinemas on February 24 and, based on the reaction to the first trailer, people are excited.Directed by Elizabeth Banks, the action-comedy film is “inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it.

Zack Sharf Rebel Wilson revealed on a new episode of the “Call Me Daddy” podcast that her “Pitch Perfect” film contracts prevented her from losing weight. Wilson starred as the confident and bawdy Patricia “Fat Amy” Hobart in the “Pitch Perfect” trilogy, which ran from 2012 to 2017. It was the comedian’s back-to-back roles in “Bridesmaids” and the original “Pitch Perfect” that made her a breakthrough comedian in Hollywood. “I did wait until ‘Pitch Perfect’ seemed like it was over,” Wilson said about making the decision to lose weight. “I couldn’t lose a massive amount of weight because it was in the contracts for that movie. You can’t lose – I think it’s not more than 10 pounds or gain more than 10 pounds. You have to kind of stay at the weight. It’s in your contract.”

Cocaine Bear: The Rise of Pablo Escobear.”“Here’s something to entertain you,” wrote the film’s Twitter account. “Play as me” — the titular Cocaine Bear — “and share your high scores.” Players assume the role of the coked-out bear in a “Pac-Man”-style game in which you must collect the small piles of — you guessed it — cocaine, eat several people and eventually chase down an ambulance.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Nope, Jurassic World: Dominion among others.While it’s unclear what exactly will be shown, behind-the-scenes rumblings and the near future release slate provide some easy indications of what to expect. If you’re curious, here’s the likely contenders who will make an appearance when the Super Bowl kicks off on Sunday February 12.As reported by Deadline, DC’s The Flash starring Ezra Miller is expected to be shown for the first time.

loosely based on a real-life story of a bear discovered in The Peach State’s Chattahoochee National Forest after overdosing on cocaine from a drug smuggling attempt gone wrong in September 1985.“You know, it’s a caper and a romp. It’s really designed to be that and nothing more.

An elementary school principal, a gym teacher, and a third grade teacher have all resigned after a years-long affair came to light, sending shock waves through the small-town community in which they worked.

Elizabeth Banks is still relatively new to the filmmaking game.

HEADLINERSBig names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with major and rising names in cinema.BottomsDirector: Emma Seligman, Producers: Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Alison Small, Screenwriters: Emma Seligman, Rachel SennottDirected by Emma Seligman and written by Seligman and Rachel Sennott, Bottoms follows two unpopular girls in their senior year who start a fight club to try to impress and hook up with cheerleaders. Cast: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, Dagmara Dominiczyk, Punkie Johnson (World Premiere)TetrisDirector: Jon S.

Looking for love. Just like on How I Met Your Father, the cast of the hit sitcom have been candid about their search for The One.

Of Peacock‘s several reimaginings of old TV series, few hold the intrigue of “Bel-Air,” a contemporary revamp of the ’90s sitcom “The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.” Some critics didn’t take to the show replacing the original’s comedic tone with more serious realism. But others saw the new take on an old favorite as a refreshing homage that could chart new territory.

A familiar face is about to matriculate on Bel-Air: Tatyana Ali, who played Ashley Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, is set to recur as an English literature teacher in the second season of the Peacock reboot. The CW also released the Season 2 trailer, which teases tumultuous times ahead for Will (Jabari Banks).