Netflix has picked up a new comedy called Cocaine Hippos with actor/comedian Jermaine Fowler set to star. Fowler is known for the hilarious CBS series Superior Donuts and was recently cast in Coming 2 America, the highly anticipated sequel to Eddie Murphy’s 1988 film.
The Hollywood Reporter says the story follows a group of friends who embark on a quest to discover Pablo Escobar’s lost treasure. On their journey, the friends encounter “con men, local drug lords and the deadly hippos” smuggled into Colombia by the drug lord in the ’80s. The script is being written by Jordan VanDina, who also worked on Hulu’s 2020 reboot of Animaniacs.
VanDina was inspired by the true story of Escbobar’s exploits in the 1980s, who really did smuggle hippopotamuses into Columbia from Africa to keep on his estate. After he was killed in the early 90s, most of the animals were placed in zoos, but the hippos were left behind. The newly invasive species continued to procreate, impacting the nutrients in local lakes and harming native species by contributing to algal blooms.
The Netflix comedy is produced by Fowler, as well as Dichotomy’s Adam Goodman and Matt Skiena. Cocaine Hippos tone is described as The Hangover meets Tropic Thunder, two beloved and massively successful films. “Hey!!! I wrote an insane movie about hippos and cocaine!!!! What a time to be alive,” VanDina posted to his Twitter. If his script truly is in the same league as those other touchstone comedies, then Netflix could have another classic on its hands.
More: Robert Downey Jr. Defends His Oscar-Nominated Tropic Thunder Blackface Role
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
