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Netflix Is Making A Movie About Pablo Escobar's 'Cocaine Hippos'

Netflix Is Making A Movie About Pablo Escobar's 'Cocaine Hippos'

The film will be a cross between The Hangover and Tropic Thunder.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Netflix is renowned for producing films and TV shows that push the envelope. But its latest project sounds truly baffling.

The Hollywood Reporter says the streaming giant has commissioned a comedy project based solely around Pablo Escobar's infamous cocaine hippopotamuses.

The drug kingpin was known to fly in loads of exotic animals to his Colombian locations. When he was eventually killed in 1993 in a dramatic shootout with police, many of the animals were taken to zoo or sold off, however, the hippos stayed and are now considered to be an invasive species.

A hippo called Vanessa at the Hacienda Napoles theme park, once the private zoo of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.
PA

Netflix wants to delve into this story and mix it with another infamous Escobar folktale.

THR reports the movie will 'follow a group of friends who stumble across a clue leading to Escobar's lost treasure. They then embark on a wild trip that pits them against con men, local drug lords and the deadly hippos that Escobar smuggled into Colombia back in the '80s'.

If you need a little more convincing, the movie's tone is being touted as a cross between The Hangover meets Tropic Thunder.

Hook, line and sinker.

Writer Jordan VanDina is coming up with the script for the movie, while Dichotomy's Adam Goodman and Matt Skiena will produce it. Comedian Jermaine Fowler is set to star, according to THR.

Even without a release date, prospective viewers are already excited about the film, with one tweeting: "This sounds amazing. I'm in!"

Another added: "100% adding to my watchlist!!!"

Escobar smuggled four hippos into his country for his own private zoo back in the 1980s. There are now dozens of the animals roaming around an area where he used to have mansions dotted around the place.

PA

As for his hidden treasure in real life, that's still a mystery. At the peak of his career, Escobar was thought to be worth about $42 billion ($28 billion). So, what happened to the best part of his cash once his career finally caught up with him?

Two years ago, two former CIA agents were enlisted by The Discovery Channel of all people to help find the missing millions. Doug Laux and Ben Smith were tasked with finding evidence that a massive stack of cash was buried somewhere.

Mr Laux told the Mirror: "Looking for Pablo Escobar's money in Colombia, you are kicking a hornet's nest as hard as you can. The danger is extraordinary, there is every chance you will get killed."

These blokes have had their fair share of missions, with Doug once infiltrating the Taliban to find their road side bomb supply.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film