Keri Russell Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Arguably an early contender for the wildest movie of 2023, Elizabeth Banks‘ “Cocaine Bear” is based on the true story of a 175-pound Black Bear who overdosed on cocaine after ingesting the drug in 1985. While the bear did not kill anyone and died shortly after consuming cocaine, Banks and screenwriter Jimmy Warden fictionalize a story where the bear goes on a killing spree while massively high on cocaine.

Bear hits cinemas today (February 24) – and is expected to scare up a storm at the box office.Based on the 1985 story about an American Black Bear that ingested a duffle bag’s worth of coke, Cocaine Bear doesn’t stick to the facts. Instead of being found dead by police shortly after its drug binge, the furry beast goes on a murderous rampage, attacking anyone who gets in its way.

slated to open somewhere in the mid-teens, with the possibility of hitting $20 million in ticket sales this weekend. For a comparison, the Christmas action comedy “Violent Night” made $1.1 million in Thursday preview showings to kick off a $13 million opening weekend. Directed by Elizabeth Banks, Jimmy Warden’s stranger-than-fiction screenplay tells the story of Cokey the Bear, a Black bear who in 1985 consumed a large amount of cocaine a drug runner had dropped into a Georgia forest.

Jordan Moreau “Cocaine Bear” is snorting up a solid opening weekend. The R-rated action-comedy earned $2 million in Thursday previews at the domestic box office. It opened in 3,000 North American theaters Thursday night and will expand to 3,534 on Friday. Universal’s bloody, real-life tale about a black bear on a cocaine-fueled rampage is projected to open with $15 million to $17 million this weekend. Some predictions have it opening with as much as $20 million, thanks to its positive word-of-mouth (or word-of-snout) and memeability online. The mid-budget film cost roughly $35 million, with much of it used on the CGI bear, so a launch in the upper teens would be a good sign.

Stretching the phrase “inspired by true events” to its bare limits, Cocaine Bear (★★★☆☆) takes off from the stranger-than-fiction real-life tale of a Kentucky drug runner who, in 1985, dumped bundles of cocaine from a plane over Georgia, then perished trying to parachute after the drugs, a large, expensive portion of which were found and somehow consumed by a 500-lb. black bear deep in the Georgia woods.Anyone interested in the dead-serious facts of the case can grab a copy of Sally Denton’s comprehensive chronicle The Bluegrass Conspiracy, originally published in 1990.This movie, on the other hand, takes a bold leap off that plane with Thornton’s duffel bags full of brown paper-wrapped bricks of blow, and never looks back.Directed by Pitch Perfect mogul Elizabeth Banks, and scripted by Jimmy Warden, Cocaine Bear leaves no gruesome gag unturned, no outrageous one-liner untold, serving up the sort of anything-goes big-screen comedy that comes along rarely.Mid-rampage, the coke-fueled bear snorts a line off someone’s severed leg.

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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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

Elizabeth Banks is ready for another installment after Cocaine Bear.

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.

Apple TV+ has just released the trailer for their new series “Extrapolations”.

EXCLUSIVE: C. Henry Chaisson, writer of Keri Russell-fronted film Antlers and Apple series Servant, is turning Nick Cutter’s underwater thriller The Deep into a series for Amazon.

Earlier this week, social media lit up as users excitedly uploaded the poster for the Elizabeth Banks-directed Cocaine Bear, imagining what a movie with that title might be like. They got some idea today when Universal dropped the bonkers first trailer for the film “inspired by the true story of a drug runner’s 1985 plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it.” The movie, billed as a character-driven thriller, seems to have a good bit of fun with the premise.

Back in 1985, drug smuggler Andrew C. Thornton II dropped a duffel bag of cocaine out of the airplane he was piloting to ease the aircraft’s load.

Universal’s first trailer for “Cocaine Bear” gives the people what they want. The title is pretty self-explanatory, even if one doesn’t know about the true-life story involving a 175-pound American black bear who ingested a duffel bag full of blow after the narcotics were dumped out of an airplane by a drug smuggler trying to lighten a heavy load.It’s a somewhat refreshing example of an old-school high-concept movie, one driven by a strong elevator pitch rather than IP or marquee characters.

Sony added three news movies to their 2023-2024 theatrical release sked while shifting some others due to the post-production jam which continues to plague a number of big pics. The good news is that nothing is moving out of 2022.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterRay Liotta had several films and a television series in the works before his sudden death on Thursday at age 67. At least two projects, Universal’s wild drug-filled thriller “Cocaine Bear” and the Apple TV Plus limited series “Black Bird,” had already completed production and should be released according to schedule, sources say.Liotta died in his sleep while shooting “Dangerous Waters” in the Dominican Republic.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorIFTA (The Independent Film & Television Alliance) announced Tuesday that American Film Market managing director Jonathan Wolf would step down when his term ends on June 30. Wolf has led the AFM for 24 years, and will continue as an advisor for the 2022 AFM, set to return to Santa Monica in person on Nov.

Universal Pictures will release the new film “Cocaine Bear” on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 in theaters wide, the studio announced on Monday.Wild as it may seem, the film is inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it.

Elizabeth Banks’ next directorial Cocaine Bear will be hitting theaters on Feb. 24, 2023.

Keri Russell is linking up with Netflix.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterKeri Russell has been cast in the lead role of the upcoming Netflix series “The Diplomat.”The series was ordered at the streamer in January. In the series, in the midst of an international crisis, a career diplomat (Russell) lands in a high-profile job she’s unsuited for, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future.Debora Cahn created the series and also serves as executive producer and showrunner.

Keri Russell (The Americans, Felicity) has been tapped for the title role in The Diplomat, Netflix’s drama series created by Debora Cahn. Russell also will executive produce the series alongside Cahn and Janice Williams.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe climate change anthology series “Extrapolations” at Apple has added eight new cast members, Variety has learned exclusively.Murray Bartlett (“The White Lotus”), Yara Shahidi (“Grown-ish,” “Black-ish”), Diane Lane (“Unfaithful,” “Under the Tuscan Sun”), Heather Graham (“Boogie Nights,” “Wander”), Grammy Award-winner Ben Harper, Judd Hirsch (“Uncut Gems,” “The Goldbergs”), Hari Nef (“Transparent,” “You”), and Neska Rose (“Drama Club”) have all joined the series. This is the second Apple series role announced for Bartlett in recent days, as Variety exclusively reported he would also star in “Physical” Season 2.They join previously announced cast members Meryl Streep, Matthew Rhys, Marion Cotillard, Eiza Gonzalez, Tobey Maguire, Forest Whitaker, Edward Norton, Kit Harrington, Sienna Miller, Gemma Chan, Tahar Rahim, Daveed Diggs, David Schwimmer, Adarsh Gourav, Indira Varma, Keri Russell, Cherry Jones, and Michael Gandolfini.

Like most who discovered the work of actor/writer/director Adrienne Shelly, I first noticed her in the breakout 2007 film “Waitress,” a (literally) confectious film starring a pre-“Americans” Keri Russell as the most decent woman ever to begin an affair.

The upcoming climate-change anthology series on Apple TV+, “Extrapolations,” is already filled to the brim with massive acting talent. But hey, why not add a few more A-listers to really turn Scott Z.

Edward Norton, Indira Varma, Keri Russell, Cherry Jones and Michael Gandolfini are the latest stars to join Apple TV+’s climate change anthology drama series, Extrapolations.

Selome Hailu editorApple TV Plus announced that Edward Norton, Indira Varma, Keri Russell, Cherry Jones and Michael Gandolfini have been cast in “Extrapolations,” Scott Z. Burns upcoming climate change anthology series.Known for his performances in films such as “Motherless Brooklyn” and “Keeping the Faith,” Norton plays a scientist named Jonathan Chopin.

Keri Russell is ready to step back into Felicity's shoes. ET's Rachel Smith spoke with the 45-year-old actress at a special screening of her latest film, , in New York City on Monday, and she revealed that she'd be down to revisit one of her most iconic roles.«I'll do it,» she said of a reboot.

Keri Russell hits the red carpet for the premiere of her new movie, Antlers, at Regal Essex Crossing on Monday (October 25) in New York City.