It is confirmed that Cocaine bearthe film about the black bear nicknamed by the newspapers EscoBear, will be released in theaters soon February 23rd. Also, the long-awaited film has a new official poster.

The image, which shows the bear completely enraged, is already making the rounds on all social networks.

Elizabeth Banks, director of Cocaine Bear and the latest Charlie’s Angels, among other films, had a stellar cast at the helm: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristofer Hivju, Christian Convery, Brooklynn Prince, Margo Martindale and Ray Liotta.

It’s worth mentioning that the film will be one of Liotta’s few posthumous projects.

Cocaine Bear will be, as the story on which it is based suggests, a thriller with lots of action.

The plot revolves around an American bear who becomes violent after ingesting a huge bag of cocaine. The sales synopsis confirms that the film is “character-driven inspired by real events that took place in Kentucky in 1985.”

Who is EscoBear?

The story of the bear they call the leader of the Medellín cartel has inspired countless urban legends and conspiracies.

Because it is said to have eaten more than twenty kilos of cocaine and died, the animal has become a symbol of the state, a celebrity that attracts tourists.

One of the most surprising facts of his story is that the cocaine he ingested literally fell from the sky.

In 1985, former narcotics agent and convicted drug dealer Andrew C Thornton II he threw a bag of cocaine from his plane because he thought it was carrying too much cargo. That day Thornton jumped into the void leaving the vehicle on autopilot and died from a faulty parachute.

On September 11, police discovered Thornton’s body in Knoxville. He was carrying $14 million worth of cocaine strapped to his waist, weapons and wore a bulletproof vest.

Three months later, EscoBear was found dead by a hunter in Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest, with 40 open containers of cocaine lying around him. He is said to have ingested around 35 kilograms of this drug.

The bear’s body was kept intact by a taxidermist and was on display for a long time. Today, after having passed through several hands, its whereabouts is unknown.