We dig into the true story behind Cocaine Bear, the recent smash hit horror-comedy by Elizabeth Banks. How much actually happened?

If you’re one of the many people who went to see Cocaine Bear recently in theaters, you might have been confused by the title card that suggested the film was based on a true story. Indeed, there was a real cocaine bear. On September 11th, 1985, a drug smuggler named Andrew C. Thornton II was flying a load of cocaine from Columbia to the states and was forced to ditch his load over Knoxville, Tennessee, when his plane went down. Thornton died after jumping from the plane when his parachute failed to open (although the film gives a much more fanciful interpretation of what might have happened). Overall, more than 75 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of $20 million, had been ditched, and when the authorities went looking for the load, they found a dead black bear who had ingested much of the cocaine. The bear’s stomach was apparently packed to the brim with cocaine, and as a result, the bear became a local legend. The bear was taxidermied and is now a popular tourist attraction.

Of course, if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll note that this all sounds a bit different than director Elizabeth Banks’ comic-horror mash-up, so In this episode of WTF Really Happened to this Movie, we’re going to separate fact from fiction as we dig into the true story behind Cocaine Bear! This episode of WTF Really Happened to this Movie is written by Eric Walkuski, narrated and edited by Adam Walton, and produced by Taylor James Johnson.

Cocaine Bear is now playing in theaters (read our review) and stars Keri Russell, the late Ray Liota, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Alden Ehrenreich, Margo Martindale, Isiah Whitlock Jr and more!

Did you like ocaine? Let us know in the comments what you thought of the movie and its fanciful take on what really happened.

The Creed III opponents have enjoyed working with each other so much, they plan to collaborate in De Niro and Pacino fashion.

Creed III has finally made its entrance into the ring, and the consensus has been pretty positive. The standout attention has been rightfully given to the new heavy of the franchise, Damian Anderson, portrayed by Jonathan Majors. Both Majors and director/star Michael B. Jordan have been promoting the film in a huge marketing blitz prior to release, and if you have seen the movie, you have seen how electric the pair can be as friends as well as enemies on screen.

It’s evident that the two had struck up a friendship and enjoyed working with each other on this film, and Variety now reports that the two find their collaboration is worth working together on more projects. Jordan would address the possibility of working with Majors again, saying, “We plan on it.” And Majors simply adds the comparison, “De Niro and Pacino.” Jordan would elaborate on the sentiment, saying, “We’re excited about that, and I have those conversations with him. Acting is such a solo journey, where you’re fighting for your place on that call sheet for such a long time. So when you’ve got somebody that doesn’t care as much about that stuff, it’s like, ‘Let’s go. How much damage can we do together?’” To which Majors would answer, “All of it.”

Funnily enough, De Niro and Pacino haven’t actually worked together on screen very often. Although the two acting legends are almost always joined at the hip when referring to the best actors ever, as well as having a solid off-screen friendship, the duo would only appear in four movies together — The Godfather Part II, Heat, Righteous Kill, and The Irishman. The two would only have extended scenes together in the latter two films, and a lot of movie fans argue that the pair never concretely appeared on-screen together in Heat.

However, working on four films is still a pretty noteworthy collaboration if the execution is successful enough. And the Creed III stars have enough admiration and respect for each other that it looks like the perfect formula for them to make it work. Jordan recalled his approach with Majors to recruit him for the Creed film, “I was all in my head, like, ‘OK, what are the things I would want to hear? This dude can do a million different things right now. What’s going to make him take a chance on this actor-director who hasn’t directed [anything]?’” Majors, in turn, reveals that it was important that he fulfilled Jordan’s intent for his performance, “I care most about what he thinks.”

The wife of Bruce Willis is making a plea for paparazzi and fans to leave the actor alone when they see him in public.

As Bruce Willis’ condition worsens and his fragility intensifies, his wife, Emma Heming Willis, is making a plea to paparazzi and fans to be respectful and mindful of his personal space.

Mrs. Willis took to social media over the weekend, writing on her Instagram, “It’s clear that there’s still a lot of education that needs to be put forth…So this one is going out to the photographers and the video people that are trying to get those exclusives of my husband out and about: Just keep your space. I know this is your job, but maybe just keep your space.” The post reportedly stems from an incident while Willis was out and about in Santa Monica.

And while fans of Bruce Willis may think they have the best intentions, it appears to be doing the actor no good, as his wife added, “For the video people, please don’t be yelling at my husband asking him how he’s doing or whatever — the woohoo-ing and the yippee ki yays … just don’t do it. OK? Give him his space. Allow for our family or whoever’s with him that day to be able to get him from point A to point B safely…”

Last month, the family of Bruce Willis issued the following heartbreaking statement: “Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”

While paparazzi, autograph hounds and the like have always been a nuisance to public figures, this is a different form of low, harassing Bruce Willis and his family as they go through what must be the most challenging, demanding and stressful time of their lives together. All to get their scoop and help stock the checkout lanes with tabloid garbage. And while people such as that will always be an invasive species, this should be one of far too many calls to at least try not to be an asshole.

Continue sending your good vibes virtually in the comments section below.

Radio Silence filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett say their take on John Carpenter’s Escape from New York is a requel

In last year’s Scream movie, which came to us from the filmmaking trio known as Radio Silence (directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, producer Chad Villella), there’s a moment where the characters realize the latest iteration of the Ghostface killer is “making a requel”. It breaks down like this: “You can’t just reboot a franchise from scratch anymore, but you can’t just do a straight sequel either. You’ve got to build something new. It’s got to be part of an on-going storyline. New main characters, yes, but supported by and related to legacy characters. Not quite a reboot, not quite a sequel.” Some prefer to term “legacyquel” over “requel”, but in a new interview with ComicBook.com Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett confirmed they’re planning to make an Escape from New York “requel”.

It was announced back in November that Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are attached to direct a new take on John Carpenter’s 1981 sci-fi action film Escape from New York (watch it HERE). The directors later specified that their Escape from New York is in the early stages of development, but this would not be a remake. Now, when asked by ComicBook.com if the movie will be a requel that will allow Escape from New York and Escape from L.A. star Kurt Russell to return, the directors said: “It’s a great question. I don’t think we know enough about the movie yet to be able to say anything, but yes ‘requel’ is the idea. There’s no way to remake how great that movie is, would be a fool’s errand to try. So, you know, we’ll try to borrow what we love from it and find a new way to put the package together.“

Radio Silence are the latest in a long line of filmmakers who have tried to get a new Escape from New York off the ground. The project has previously passed through the hands of Len Wiseman, Brett Ratner, Breck Eisner, Robert Rodriguez, and Leigh Whannell. The initial announcement said Carpenter was on board to executive produce the film, but he later told Variety that no one had talked to him about it yet.

Scripted by Carpenter and Nick Castle, Escape from New York has the following description:

In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam. But when the US president crash-lands inside, only one man can bring him back: notorious outlaw and former Special Forces war hero Snake Plissken. But time is short. In 24 hours, an explosive device implanted in his neck will end Snake’s mission – and his life – unless he succeeds!

Russell was joined in the cast by Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, Harry Dean Stanton, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Van Cleef, Tom Atkins, Charles Cyphers, Frank Doubleday, John Strobel, Season Hubley, Nancy Stephens, George Buck Flower, and Ox Baker, with some narration by Jamie Lee Curtis.

Carpenter and Russell wrote Escape from L.A. with Debra Hill, crafting the following story:

In 2013, the United States president is exiling all citizens who don’t conform to his hyper-conservative views to Los Angeles, which became an island after a huge earthquake. But when the president’s daughter nabs the detonator to her dad’s apocalyptic weapon and sneaks into L.A. to be with the rebel leader she loves, the government taps commando-turned-crook Snake Plissken to retrieve the young woman. And, if he doesn’t succeed quickly, he’ll be executed.

Russell was joined in that one by Steve Buscemi, Peter Fonda, Cliff Robertson, Valeria Golino, Stacy Keach, Pam Grier, Bruce Campbell, Georges Corraface, Michelle Forbes, Peter Jason, and A.J. Langer.

Would you like to see Kurt Russell return for Radio Silence’s Escape from New York “requel”? Share your thoughts on this project by leaving a comment below.

Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi are actively pursuing the idea of continuing the Evil Dead franchise with an animated series

After playing Evil Dead franchise hero Ash Williams on screen for around forty years, spanning three feature films and three seasons of the TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead, Bruce Campbell formally retired from the role, saying he’s not physically able to handle the action sequences any longer. But he is still willing to voice the character, as evident from the recently released Evil Dead: The Game… and just over a year ago, he said would gladly provide Ash’s voice if there were ever to be an Evil Dead animated series. Franchise creator Sam Raimi has let it be known that he wants to continue making Evil Dead projects with Campbell, and he must have heard Campbell’s answer to the animated series question, because our friends at Bloody Disgusting report that Campbell has confirmed they are “actively pursuing” the idea of an Evil Dead animated series!

Campbell told Bloody Disgusting, “All I can say is we’re actively pursuing it. Sam’s a busy guy. He had a big hit movie, so he’s got a lot on his plate, but he and his brother are actively shaping out the world. It’s one thing to get an animator and say, ‘Hey, animate this!’ You’ve got to know what you’re going to animate. I look forward to it, because my voice hasn’t aged as much as I have.“

Clearly there aren’t many details to share about the project at this time – but here’s hoping that it would pick right up from the futuristic ending of the Ash vs. Evil Dead TV series. Campbell has previously said it would. “You pick up right where the show left off. You can do the future a lot easier in animation.“

While we wait to see what happens with the Evil Dead animated series, we have writer/director Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise to look forward to. That film is set to reach theatres on April 21st.

What do you think of Bruce Campbell providing the voice of Ash for an Evil Dead animated series, possibly one that continues the story of Ash vs. Evil Dead? Share your thoughts on this idea by leaving a comment below.