Cocaine Bear 2 isn’t out of the realm of possibility

Director Elizabeth Banks isn’t against making Cocaine Bear 2, a sequel to her bizarrely wild horror comedy that was released earlier this year.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, she didn’t rule out the possibility that a sequel could be in its future. The movie fared decently well at the box office, which is, of course, the main driving factor of whether a studio is looking to make a sequel.

“I mean, I had an absolutely great time working on the project. I loved how subversive, crazy, silly, and funny it was. I loved surprising people with the cast. I don’t think anybody was expecting Margo Martindale, who’s 70 years old, to shoot that kid. We had a lot fun, and if I got the opportunity to surprise the audience and delight myself again, I would take it.”

With its relatively small budget of an estimated $30 to $35 million, it blew it out of the park, raking in $89 million, which considering its niche nature, specific genres, and an R rating, that’s pretty impressive. Now, granted, it doesn’t realistically need a sequel. However, plenty of movies that ended just fine end up with unnecessary sequels because the film resonated with fans and raked in some serious dough.

Add to the fact that the team itself wants to make a sequel and you have a powerful combination. Writer Jimmy Warden — before the movie’s release — said to Variety that he’d be up for not just a sequel but many sequels and believes he’d be able to avoid making it feel like a rehash of the original. Rehashing is exactly the sort of problem Cocaine Bear 2 would have trouble avoiding, not being able to be original enough to make it in theaters, since the absurdity of a high bear going on a rampage can only go so far a second time around.