An insurance company that received one of the claims had raised suspicions to state officials that the bear might not be real. “As soon as the bear came into frame, to me, it was pretty quick ...

but the story about a high bear is very real. Its lore is likely to grow with the movie, which was directed by Elizabeth Banks and is set for a Feb. 24 release. “Cocaine Bear” stars Keri ...

Image Keri Russell, left, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Margo Martindale in a scene from “Cocaine Bear.” The film is loosely — very loosely — based on real events.Credit...Pat Redmond/Universal ...

If, for some reason, you’ve missed the “Cocaine Bear” back story, it’s based on the real-life tale of a drug smuggling plan gone wrong in the 1980s that resulted in a black bear hoovering ...