FILM · 2023 · USA
Cocaine Bear
24 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (24)
- #001
The film is partly inspired by a real 1985 incident in which corrupt Kentucky police officer and lawyer-turned-drug smuggler Andrew Thornton flew a smuggling run, dumped cocaine packages over Georgia, and then tried to bail out with roughly 80 kilos of cocaine strapped to his body. The parachute malfunctioned, likely due to the extra weight, and Thornton fell to his death in a Knoxville, Tennessee resident's driveway. Forty kilos of the dropped packages landed in a national forest and were consumed by a black bear that likely overdosed within minutes after eating $20 million worth of the drug, dying of a brain hemorrhage, respiratory failure and heart failure. Apart from Thornton and the bear, no other losses were reported.
- #002
It was Ray Liotta's final film role, completed before his death on May 26, 2022. Liotta died a week after coming in to re-record his lines during post-production. Elizabeth Banks said Liotta praised his own appearance when he looked at the bear.
- #003
The real "cocaine bear," jokingly also called "Pablo Escobear," is displayed at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall in Lexington, Kentucky. Unverified rumors say it previously belonged to Waylon Jennings.
- #004
The film is dedicated to Ray Liotta.
- #005
The story is based on a book titled "Bluegrass Conspiracy," a tale of corruption, drugs, money and a dead bear. The film is set in Kentucky between the late '70s and early '80s and involves many prominent members of powerful Kentucky families and the state government. It is a partly true but heavily fictionalized account of the story.
- #006
When the bear attacks Elsa and Olaf at the start of the film, Elsa turns to Olaf and refers to him as "Kristofer" (the actor's real name). It is unclear whether this was intentional or simply an error missed during editing. It is also unclear why he is credited under both names in the end titles and special features.
- #007
On Conan O'Brien's podcast A Friend in Need, Matthew Rhys explained that after reading the script he asked Elizabeth Banks who would play Andrew C. Thornton II. When she said he had not yet been cast, he said he would do it mainly to get a bit of a break from his children, whom his wife Keri Russell was looking after while she was shooting a film in Ireland.
- #008
In real life, Andrew C. Thornton II died while jumping from the plane when he became tangled in his parachute. The film's opening adds embellishments, such as his hitting his head on the door as he tries to jump out and losing consciousness as he falls to his death.
- #009
The bear in the film is female, while the real bear was male.
- #010
The film opens with Jefferson Starship's "Jane," just as Wet Hot American Summer (2001), one of Elizabeth Banks's first film roles, does.
- #011
Principal photography on the film began on August 20, 2021, in Ireland.
- #012
Matthew Rhys wants to make a prequel about Andrew C. Thornton II covering the events that lead up to the opening of this film.
- #013
The post-credits scene in the neighborhood, in which Eddie's new dog swallows Daveed's severed fingers, was shot at the Universal Studios Hollywood Backlot. Visitors can see the blue and brown houses on the Universal Studio Tour, depending on whether those sets are available for the tour that day.
- #014
Apart from extras, very few Irish actors appeared in the film. The entire film was shot in Ireland.
- #015
Body count: 10 (6 by the bear, 2 by firearms, 2 by vehicle accident).
- #016
Elizabeth Banks said she drew inspiration from the work of producers John Carpenter, Sam Raimi and Steven Spielberg. Banks noted that Jaws (1975) and Jurassic Park (1993) played a role in shaping the film.
- #017
In the original script, Andrew Thornton and the hitchhiking couple were not in the opening of the film.
- #018
Christian Convery contracted COVID during the filming of this movie. As a result, a scene featuring Convery was shot using a stunt double in the background, and several scenes with Convery were shot separately toward the end of production, after he recovered from COVID.
- #019
At the ranger station, paramedic Tom cautiously approaches the door of the back storage room to see what happened there; to his right, a stuffed teddy bear lies on the ground. A harbinger of what is to come.
- #020
INTRO: "Black bears are not motivated by territoriality. They rarely attack the people around them. When they do attack, victims are more likely to survive by fighting back rather than submitting." Source: Wikipedia.
- #021
Jesse Tyler Ferguson had previously worked with both Elizabeth Banks and Ray Liotta in different episodes of Modern Family (2009).
- #022
Director Elizabeth Banks, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ray Liotta all appeared in Modern Family (2009).
- #023
In the wide shot at 1:28:53, a tree line is visible, and a tree on the left of the screen is shaped like a bear standing with its arms at its sides.
- #024
Syd and Bob first met and worked together years ago on Goodfellas.
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