Is Cocaine Bear 2 Happening Or Will The Drug-Fueled Ursine Stay In Hibernation?

People say truth is stranger than fiction, but the story in "Cocaine Bear" the movie is definitely more interesting than the true story behind it. In real life, the bear dubbed Pablo Eskobear ate a bunch of coke that was dumped from a drug smuggling plane and died from an overdose. In the vision of bloody mayhem created by director Elizabeth Banks and writer Jimmy Warden, though, the bear in question went on a drug-fueled murder spree, mauling anyone who got in her way. Even Margo Martindale wasn't safe!

"Cocaine Bear" landed in the zeitgeist earlier this year, taking Twitter by storm before its release, thanks to its wild title and even wilder premise. The movie ultimately grossed over $87 million at the box office (per Box Office Mojo). An attention-catching genre mashup with a relatively lean budget and a good theatrical haul should be like studio exec catnip, so where's the "Cocaine Bear" sequel news? While no follow-up movie is officially in the works yet, both Banks and producer Phil Lord have hinted that they're open to making another movie in the vein of "Cocaine Bear." Here's everything we know so far.

Given that Elizabeth Banks' horror comedy just came out in February 2023, it will still be a while before we get to see a "Cocaine Bear" sequel, that is if one gets greenlit. Plus, any other potential entries in the "Cocaine Bear" universe will have to wait until the ongoing strikes in Hollywood are resolved. Banks herself has said as much, telling Rolling Stone that any future horror movies she might get the opportunity to make will have to come after the strikes are concluded. "Currently nothing's really happening, as we're all on hold!" she told the outlet. "So, it's yet to bear out." See what she did there?

Banks expressed support of the professional guilds involved in the labor movement, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, in the same interview, noting that she grew up in a union family. "We only have right now to negotiate the best possible deal," she told Rolling Stone. "The idea that we should put off any kind of conversation or put off the equity that we're looking for seems silly to me." So if you're hoping for more drug-fueled animal horror stories, it sounds like the timeline depends on when the AMPTP (the group representing major companies in the strike) and the guilds in question settle on a fair deal.

There have been plenty of jokes about "Cocaine Bear" sequels in the months since the movie's release, especially since a real-life news story dropped about a cocaine-addled shark acting erratically in Florida. Weirdly, drugged-out animals show up in the news a lot, and when the cast and crew of "Cocaine Bear" were asked by Variety to jokingly pitch their own sequels, the ideas ranged from "Adderall Alligator" (pitched by Jesse Tyler Ferguson) to "Cocaine Dolphin" or "Cocaine Rats" (pitched by Kahyun Kim and Aaron Holliday, respectively). O'Shea Jackson Jr. got especially creative, saying a sequel should focus on an exotic bird called the Cassowary. "It's the most dangerous bird in the world!" he noted.

Jokes aside, in the same interview co-producer Phil Lord revealed that a sequel is more than just a thought exercise. "I will say there is a [sequel] pitch, but I won't tell you what it is," he told the outlet back in February 2023. Banks herself has been pretty receptive to the idea of a follow-up film as well. "We had a lot fun, and if I got the opportunity to surprise the audience and delight myself again, I would take it," she told Rolling Stone. For now, it sounds like any potential sequel is little more than an idea being batted around, but we can't wait to find out what that idea could be.

In an interview with People magazine, Banks was asked about whether a news story about cocaine in the waters of New Zealand might inspire a shark-themed sequel to the film. "I've seen that. If there's a great story, then sure," she told the outlet. "'Jaws' with cocaine, I don't see how that loses." Producer Christopher Miller also mentioned the shark idea to Variety, joking that the sequel could feature both a coked-up bear and a coked-up shark battling it out. It's unclear whether the shark angle is just a fun talking point in the press or an actual story Banks might pursue.

The original film ended with the titular bear going back to its life after leaving a string of dead bodies across the Georgia landscape. Banks has repeatedly called the movie a revenge story from the perspective of the bear, but she also had the failed War on Drugs on her mind when she made it. It seems likely, then, that any follow-up film would take a similarly sympathetic approach to the animal at its center, highlighting the way human interference can make nature more dangerous than it would be if left alone.

With no sequel actually greenlit yet, it's far too early to speculate about who might end up in the cast of a possible sequel. However, we can tell you which characters likely won't be back: Liz (Margo Martindale), Bob (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), Syd (Ray Liotta, who passed away in 2022), Peter (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), Elsa (Hannah Hoekstra), Olaf (Kristofer Hivju), Vest (J.B. Moore), Beth (Kahyun Kim), and Tom (Scott Seiss), all of whom got killed by the bear this time around.

Of course, it's possible that if a follow-up film happens, it won't be a direct sequel, in which case Banks could cast any of the above actors all over again in new roles. It seems likely that any follow-up would include some surprising casting choices, though. When asked about the sequel, she told Rolling Stone "I loved how subversive, crazy, silly, and funny it was. I loved surprising people with the cast." Until we know more, we'll be daydreaming about which of our favorite actors could take on a cocaine-fueled shark.