The True Story Of The Cocaine Bear Is Coming To Peacock

If any recent release deserves to be called a cult classic in the making, it's "Cocaine Bear." The Elizabeth Banks-directed horror-comedy uses a coke-fueled bear to tie together various campy storylines. In the process, audiences experience a gory romp that had some questioning where an idea like that came from. While that might seem like imagination gone wild, there is actually truth behind the madness.

Peacock is about to show audiences the true story of how a bear ended up with 75 pounds of cocaine in its stomach with "Cocaine Bear: The True Story." A documentary about Cocaine Bear may be considered a bit thin as little is known about what the animal did before dying. Instead, this project focuses on the colorful character whose own death would create the well-known event — Drew Thornton. The cop found his way into a lifestyle fueled by drugs, murder, and a privileged lifestyle. He would be found dead wearing a pair of Gucci loafers, something Peacock pointed to in their announcement. "How this modern-day Icarus and his fancy shoes have become forever connected to the cocaine bear is the legend behind "Cocaine Bear: The True Story."

The original "Cocaine Bear" film could have made Drew Thornton a main character, like the Peacock documentary, but its screenwriter found a different path. Jimmy Warden discovered the story of Cocaine Bear after coming upon an intriguing Twitter post. From there, his curiosity led him into a deep dive into the bear as well as the circumstances surrounding its legendary ending. For Warden, it was a conscious decision to focus on the animal instead of Thornton. "I knew that the central character had to be a bear who did drugs," he told Variety. The screenwriter also admitted to having more than enough experience with the topics."I've seen bears in the wild, and as for cocaine, I mean, yeah, who hasn't done it?"

Director Elizabeth Banks herself admitted doing a bit of research after learning of the script in 2020. "I remember thinking that this can't be based on a true story," she revealed to Harper's Bazaar. Much like Warden, she admitted to doing her own investigation into this unique story; Banks' search stumbled upon much of the same information that Warden happened upon. 

No doubt, viewers will be just as intrigued and shocked by the cop's wild life when the Peacock documentary "Cocaine Bear: The True Story" debuts April 14.