‘This Could Be a Career Ender’: Elizabeth Banks says of gory, R-Rated film Cocaine Bear.

The dark and R-rated action-comedy is loosely based on a true story of a 175-pound black bear in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia. The bear consumed 70 pounds of cocaine that was dropped during a failed drug run in the mid-1980s. In reality, the bear overdosed and died, the movie imagines a different scenario where the cocaine-fueled animal rampages through the forest in search of more drugs.

R-Rated Comedies Can Be Hits?

Chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Donna Langley, is betting on Banks’ success. Langley praised Banks for not shying away from the film’s unconventional concept. “In today’s marketplace, you have to be bold and fresh and different, and Cocaine Bear certainly fits the bill.” After the success of M3GAN, Universal is hoping “Cocaine Bear” will be another hit, fueled by its viral trailer. Cocaine Bear has a budget in the mid- to high-$30 million range, with most of the funds going towards Weta FX, the company that created the bear with CGI.

‘Cocaine Bear’ Could Be “A Career Ender”

Banks wants to challenge the myth that women cannot direct technical films. Her past roles, such as playing Laura Bush in W. and Effie Trinket in the Hunger Games franchise, demonstrate her versatility. With Cocaine Bear, Banks acknowledges the risk it presents to her career.

The film represents a chance for her to establish her own unique voice, but it also presents the possibility of being rejected by audiences. Banks sees Cocaine Bear as a huge risk, “This could be a career ender for me.” The success of the trailer seems to point that there is a demand for the movie, and we will be watching.

Cocaine Bear releases February 24.

Will You Be Watching Cocaine Bear?