Into It with Sam Sanders
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Cocaine Bearscreenwriter Jimmy Warden never thought his script would actually make it to the big screen.
I thought,Wow, that is an insane premise for a movie.So I wrote it.
In real life, the bear ingested the cocaine and died not long after, right?Yeah.
Its kind of a bummer.
And also a bummer.
I wrote the script.
I passed it to a friend of mine whos a producer on the movie Brian Duffield.
Did that surprise you?It still surprises me.
What do you think that says about the state of the industry?Universal is hungry for original IP.
They didM3GANand they also just didViolent Night.They take swings, man.
Its pretty awesome to see.
You wouldnt know that when you talk to Universal.
Theyre just like,Give me original stuff and well put our weight behind it.
Thats what happened withCocaine Bear.
Theyre exactly what they set out to be.
I want more of it.
Let your movie be what it needs to be and nothing more.I mean, amen.
That was an objective of mine right from the onset.
I took a dumb premise very seriously in writing the script, and Liz did too.
What was the biggest inspiration forCocaine Bearthe movie?
What was yourCocaine BearbeforeCocaine Bear?Ive always loved gore and violence on film.
I watched a lot of movies probably way too young.
So movies likeLeprechaun,Puppet Master, that are just gory movies.
I like taking those types of things and blending them with comedy.
Theres gross-out horror where someone covers their eyes.
Those movies cross the line to such an extent that its just way over the top, likeCocaine Bear.
And I love that Liz kept that in from the script and even heightened it herself.
She was like, We have to cross the line.
How can we continue to outdo ourselves?
Because at a certain point it comes full circle where it becomes funny again.
Oh, totally.Straddling that tonal line is something that she did such a great job of.
Those weird older movies, horror movies, were definitely an inspiration to me growing up.
I know thats not the smartest answer to give.LeprechaunandPuppet Master.
I want to hear about that working relationship with Elizabeth Banks.
Im intrigued by her as a director.
She keeps shooting for the rafters and winning.
What was that relationship like?She only heightened it.
We were right in line with each other from the very beginning.
This movie was not by any means a slam dunk.
Its not like you could have just plugged anyone in there and the movie wouldve been a giant hit.
It needed the key in of leadership that she provided.
Liz Banks walks in the room, everybody just shuts up and listens.
It was a blast.
I mean, she did such a good job.
This movie could have been an absolute disaster.
I wasnt disappointed that a lot of that ended up on the cutting-room floor.
Its digestible partially because theyre so innocent.
They dont know what theyre doing.
Theyre not bad kids.
And Brooklynn [Prince] and Christian [Convery] knock my socks off in terms of their performance.
They understood everything, including the comedy most importantly.
I dont know if people are angry about that scene.
I have stayed away from those Reddit boards.
Talking about people who understood the assignment, you know who understood the assignment for your movie?
One Margo Martindale.Oh my God.
She was spectacular the whole way, and she committed to the bit.
I kept saying, Theyre not going to do that to Margo Martindale, are they?
Then yall did it.
Then Id be like, Theyre not going to dothatto Margo Martindale, are they?
Then yall did it.
I couldnt have been more excited and surprised that she was so game for everything we threw at her.
And she is the nicest human being in the world.
She had so much fun.
She was the captain of the crew.
Yall shot Cocaine Bear in Ireland?I know.
If you couldnt have calledCocaine Bear Cocaine Bear, what would you have called this movie?Thats funny.
I never had any alt titles.
But nobody ever really took that seriously.
We were crossing our fingers that maybe nobody would notice we were calling itCocaine Bear.
Just keep walking, dont look back it was that kind of energy among the entire producer pool.
Thats the most fun way to make a movie, too.
Its like youre getting away with something.
Go big or go home.Weirdly, the mountain that the coke fell onto was called Blood Mountain.
But thats where it happened.
Last question for you: You have to make another movie about a wild animal on drugs.
Ive seen Ketamine Koala.
I get sent all these ideas about how to blend one drug with a different animal.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
