Cocaine Bear writer Jimmy Warden is stunned that the movie got made

'Cocaine Bear' screenwriter Jimmy Warden is shocked that the film got made.

The writer has penned the script for Elizabeth Banks' new movie about a bear that goes on the rampage after ingesting a bag full of cocaine and reflected on how the project gained momentum after the early pitches to studios.

Speaking to IndieWire, Jimmy said: "I think everybody was like, 'OK... great,' when I was writing the movie, like, 'Good luck with that,' and then as it just kept gaining momentum, they have gotten pretty excited."

The screenwriter realised that the movie, which is loosely based on a true story, had a chance of being successful when he explained the plot to his family.

Warden said: "I actually will say, to their credit, when I pitched it to (my family) – you know, because you go home for Thanksgiving or whatever it is and they're like, 'What are you working on?' and I was like, 'Well, I do have this idea for this movie called 'Cocaine Bear' – they were really into it. So, at that point, that was a pretty good sign."

The movie is based on drug smuggler Andrew C. Thornton II dumping a batch of cocaine from his plane in 1985, where it landed in Georgia and was eaten by the bear – which died immediately – and Jimmy stumbled on the story by accident.

He recalled: "I was just scrolling through the internet, doing absolutely nothing. I should have been working probably, and I was sitting at my desk, not looking for a movie idea.

"I was just like, 'F*** me, let's just get through the day.' And then I found the story of Andrew Carter Thornton and the Cocaine Bear, and then I just couldn't stop clicking on links. I was like, 'OK, this has to be a movie.'"