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​New Comedy Cocaine Hippos Will Focus On Pablo Escobar’s Zoo Animals

​New Comedy Cocaine Hippos Will Focus On Pablo Escobar’s Zoo Animals

The new movie has reportedly been picked up by Netflix

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

A new comedy called Cocaine Hippos will delve into the weird and wonderful life of... Pablo Escobar's zoo animals of course.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film - which comes from writer Jordan VanDina - has already been picked up by Netflix, though there's currently no indication of when we can expect it to premiere.

VanDina, who also worked on Hulu's 2020 reboot of Animaniacs, tweeted out the exciting news of Netflix acquiring his work, writing: "Hey!!! I wrote an insane movie about hippos and cocaine!!!! What a time to be alive!!"

Tweeting another news story about the project, he later added: "If my only legacy in Hollywood is writing a movie called Cocaine Hippos before I have to move back to Ronkonkoma Long Island, I'm okay with that."

Actor and comedian Jermaine Fowler is set to star in the movie, which will apparently hone in on the story of Pablo Escobar's hippos - the tale you need to know, but never realised.

Jermaine Fowler.
PA

The animals had been brought in to populate the late drug lord's Colombian estate from Africa back in the 1980s, but when he was killed in 1993 his menagerie of wildlife was taken to zoos or sold - apart from the hippos, which were left there.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plot 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'.

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

Sounds pretty wild, doesn't it? Especially as the tone has been described as 'The Hangover meets Tropic Thunder', according to the news outlet - high praise indeed for a comedy.

As well as starring in the film, Fowler will also produce alongside Adam Goodman, the former president of Paramount's motion picture group, and Matt Skiena.

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!!!"

LADbible has reached out to Netflix for comment.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Pablo Escobar, Netflix