In an interview granted to the American site Variety, Elizabeth Banks, the director of “Cocaïne Bear” (“Crazy Bear” will be the title in France), affirms that the failure of the film at the box office could be a threat to her career. A risk that she seems ready to take.
Hit or miss. Posted on November 30, the trailer for the film “Cocaïne Bear” – which has been renamed “Crazy Bear” in France with a release scheduled for March 15 in theaters – quickly became viral to the point of overtaking today 12 million views on YouTube today. Inspired by a news item dating back to 1985 when a bear fell on thirty kilos of cocaine that had fallen from an air cargo, this horrific comedy was brought to life by Elizabeth Banks who, after the success of “Pitch Perfect 2” which marked his directorial debut, had suffered a painful failure in 2019 with “Charlie’s Angel”. For her, “Cocaine Bear” represents a huge risk for the rest of her career as a director.
“This film is a gigantic risk. It could put an end to my career,” she said in an interview with the American site. Variety. Elizabeth Banks is also aware that this cocaine-addicted bear story could turn out to be quite the opposite. “She wasn’t afraid of the subversive aspect that had to be given to the film. In the current market, you have to know how to dare, renew yourself, be different. And this film ticks all these boxes,” explains Donna Langley, one of the directors of Universal Pictures studios.
If in reality, the bear overdosed and was found dead shortly after accidentally falling on part of the cocaine shipment, Elizabeth Banks promises to pay tribute to the animal with this film. “I thought it was completely unfair that this bear lost his life because of this drug story. I wanted this film to be in a way the story of his revenge,” she explains.
To top it off, Elizabeth Banks has surrounded herself with a top-notch cast that only adds to the curiosity surrounding her film, including the late Ray Liotta, Keri Russell, Margo Martindale, Alden Ehrenreich, O’ Shea Jackson Jr., Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones), Kahyun Kim, Christian Convery, Brooklynn Prince and Scott Seiss.