Inspired in part by a true event in 1985 when a corrupt Kentucky cop and lawyer-turned-drug smuggler, Andrew Thornton, flew in a smuggling run, dumping packages of cocaine over Georgia before attempting to escape with nearly 80 pounds of it strapped to his body. However, the parachute malfunctioned (possibly from the extra weight), and Thornton fell to his death in a Knoxville, Tennessee, resident's driveway. 40 kilos of the thrown packages landed in a national forest and were consumed by a black bear who overdosed most likely within minutes, dying from cerebral hemorrhaging and respiratory and heart failure, after eating $20 million worth. With the lone exceptions of Thornton and the bear, no other casualties have ever been reported.
Ray Liotta's final completed film role before his death on May 26, 2022. Liotta died a week after he came to re-record his lines in post-production. Elizabeth Banks said that Liotta praised the look of the bear once he got a look at it.
"Cocaine Bear" was intended to be a temporary working title. The producers decided to release it under that name as they "...couldn't think of anything else."
The real "cocaine bear," which has also been referred to humorously as "Pablo Escobear," is on display in Lexington, Kentucky, at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall. Unconfirmed rumors say it was previously owned by Waylon Jennings.