Movies Cocaine Bear filmmaker Elizabeth Banks would direct Cocaine Shark under two conditions The Hunger Games actress says the script would have to clear a couple of hurdles. By Clark Collis Clark Collis Senior Writer EW's editorial guidelines Published on February 16, 2023 04:52PM EST Cocaine Bear director Elizabeth Banks has confirmed that she would consider directing a follow-up named Cocaine Shark, but only if the script meets two conditions. In the inspired-by-real-events Cocaine Bear (out Feb. 24), characters played by Keri Russell, Margo Martindale, Alden Ehrenreich, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and the late Ray Liotta, among others, must deal with a wild bear who ingests a large quantity of cocaine. Earlier this month, numerous social media users pitched the idea of a second movie, Cocaine Shark, after New Zealand authorities announced that 3.2 tonnes of cocaine had been intercepted in the Pacific Ocean. When Banks was subsequently asked if she would consider tackling another project featuring a coked-out animal, she replied in the affirmative. "I've seen that. If there's a great story, then sure," Banks told PEOPLE. "Jaws with cocaine? I don't see how that loses." Elizabeth Banks. Taylor Hill/FilmMagic Speaking with EW on Tuesday, Banks elaborated on her position with regard to Cocaine Shark. "I would seriously consider anything with a script as good as the script was for Cocaine Bear," said the actress and filmmaker, who previously directed 2015's Pitch Perfect 2 and 2019's Charlie's Angels. "It's got to have just some great elements." Despite her earlier comment about Jaws-with-cocaine being a no-lose proposition, Banks made clear that the project would also need to be very different from Steven Spielberg's classic animal-attack movie. "I would never want to be compared to Jaws, that's a classic that I don't ever want to be compared to," she said. "So if it were differentiated enough, then anything's possible." The cocaine bear in 'Cocaine Bear'. Universal Pictures Banks also spoke about how she had been attracted to Cocaine Bear by that film's screenplay. "As an actor, I love reading great character journeys and this was chock-full of really fun characters woven together really beautifully by Jimmy Warden's script," she said. "I really felt like there was so much that was very grounded and real but then set against the backdrop of a bear on a bender." Cocaine Bear hits cinemas Feb. 24. Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Related content: How Sam Raimi and Jurassic Park influenced Elizabeth Banks' vision for Cocaine Bear Cocaine Bear director Elizabeth Banks says she would totally make Cocaine Shark Bear goes on a coked-out killing spree in the insane first trailer for Elizabeth Banks' Cocaine Bear Yes, Cocaine Bear is based on the true story of a bear who ate way too much cocaine Marvel's Loki inspired Elizabeth Banks' new Pitch Perfect TV series