Is Cocaine Bear a true story? 1985 drugs case behind Ray Liotta movie explained, release date - and age rating

Upcoming Ray Liotta comedy horror movie Cocaine Bear is (loosely) based on the shocking true story of a 1985 drugs case
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Comedy horror film Cocaine Bear, directed by actress Elizabeth Banks, tells the story of black bear who goes on a cocaine binge after several bricks of the drug literally for from the sky and into its lap. The bizarre tale sees the bear embark on a drug-fuelled rampage across the state of Georgia, hunting down an oddball group of criminals, police, and terrified tourists.

Ray Liotta stars in what will be the his final screen role, as the Goodfellas star in May last year after the film had wrapped. Character actress Margo Martindale, also features, and TikTok star Scott Seiss makes his film debut.

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As the release date draws nearer, many of those who have seen the high-octane trailer have questioned if the movie could possibly be based on a true story - well it is, kind of.

Is Cocaine Bear based on a true story?

Believe it or not, the film is inspired by true events - though Universal took a lot of creative liberties when making the movie. The real story behind the film involves a 1980s drug smuggling ring and one very hungry black bear.

Cocaine Bear is based on a true storyCocaine Bear is based on a true story
Cocaine Bear is based on a true story

Cocaine Bear is loosely based on a shocking 1985 case in which investigators in Georgia on the trail of drug smugglers came across a 175 pound black bear laying dead in the Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest. A ripped open duffel bag lay next to the bear and 40 empty packets were scattered around the woodland.

It didn’t take long for the investigators to figure out what had happened, as each packet would have originally contained about 1kg of cocaine which the black bear had greedily snacked on before suffering a massive overdose. For an average human, a dose of about 1.2g would be fatal - this bear had eaten more than 30,000 times that amount.

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The duffel bag full of cocaine was dropped in the forest by Andrew C. Thornton II, a narcotics cop turned drug smuggler who was returning on a run from Colombia with his friend in a light aircraft. Thornton had dropped the bag from the plane into the Georgia forest before bailing out over Kentucky. The drug runner became entangled in his parachute and ended up in free fall, dying on impact with the ground. It wasn’t until three months after Thorton’s death that the bear was discovered and the connection to the smuggler was made.

Thornton and his drug running operation, as well as the unfortunate bear, are also the subject of Sally Denton’s 2001 true-crime novel The Bluegrass Conspiracy, which was another source of inspiration for the film.

This did not happen in real lifeThis did not happen in real life
This did not happen in real life

There are several areas where Cocaine Bear diverges wildly from the 1985 case it is based on. Firstly, in the film the bear is a whopping 500 pound beast, three times the size of the bear found by investigators. Additionally - and this is where the film really goes off the rails in terms of historical accuracy - the real-life bear didn’t kill anyone. After accidentally ingesting enough cocaine to kill the entire population of Newquay, and then some, the bear predictably died.

This wouldn’t have made for a very exciting film though, so writer Jimmy Warden made a few tweaks. In the movie, after the bear eats the cocaine, the huge predator goes on a drug-induced rampage across the forest, killing indiscriminately. Meanwhile, the drug smugglers search for their lost package, not realising the mortal peril they are in.

Is there a trailer or Cocaine Bear?

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Yes there is, and it’s quite the ride. You can watch it here:

What is the age rating of Cocaine Bear?

Cocaine Bear is rated 15 in the UK and R in the US - this is due to the use of bloody violence, strong language, and a heavy drug theme.

When is the Cocaine Bear release date?

Cocaine Bear will be released in the UK in cinemas on 24 February 2023. The film will have an exclusive cinema run and it has not yet been confirmed if it will be released on streaming platforms later in the year.

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