Judd Apatow to Direct Coke Vs. Pepsi Drama ‘Cola Wars’

Sony is developing the new movie with Amblin, which will tackle Pepsi’s attempts to snatch Coke’s crown as America’s favorite soda brand.

(L to R) Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow arrive on the red carpet of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Credit/Provider: Matt Petit / A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: A.M.P.A.S.

Preview:

Judd Apatow is directing ‘Cola Wars’.
It’ll follow the battle between Pepsi and Coke for soda superiority.
Steven Spielberg is aboard as a producer.

Stories of corporate triumph aren’t necessarily what you might think of as a popular genre, but if you can find an interesting hook for the story, they’ll work –– witness last year’s Ben Affleck effort ‘Air,’ which chronicled Nike’s attempts to win over a young Michael Jordan and the struggle to see off competition from other sneaker manufacturers.

The clash between Pepsi and Coke might be even more compelling and now Sony, which won the rights to just such as movie, is putting together quite the team to shepherd it to screens.

As reported by Deadline, Judd Apatow is aboard to direct, with Steven Spielberg agreeing to produce via his Amblin company.

What’s the story of ‘Cola Wars’?

The Coca-Cola Company logo. Photo: Coca-Cola.com.

‘Cola Wars’ will chart the true story of Pepsi’s attempt to challenge Coca-Cola’s century-long reign as the world’s top cola, sparking the unforgettable “Cola Wars” of the mid-1980s. This behind-the-scenes account, from Michael Jackson’s fiery mishap to the New Coke debacle, tells the ultimate underdog tale of history’s most iconic second-place contender vying for the No. 1 spot.

There is no word on what angle the film will focus on –– whether it’ll follow personalities on both sides and how much of the juicer real-life drama will be included. With Apatow at the helm, we can imagine a comedic take, perhaps something along the lines of regular collaborator Adam McKay’s ‘The Big Short.’

Who is working on ‘Cola Wars’?

Steven Spielberg arrives on the red carpet at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Trae Patton/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In addition to Apatow and Spielberg, the movie has a script by ‘Acapulco’ co-creator Jason Shuman and Ben Queen. Their screenplay sparked a bidding war, which Sony won with a reported $1 million bid.

Since then, Spielberg’s Amblin company has come aboard to help produce the movie, which is still in development.

What else are Apatow and Spielberg working on?

'Transformers One'. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Apatow is very active as a producer and is also currently filming a documentary about Mel Brooks alongside Michael Bonfiglio.

Spielberg has all sorts of projects in the works as an executive producer –– his most current title is ‘Transformers One,’ in theaters next week.

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As a director, he is putting together a new, untitled movie about UFOs that has a script from David Koepp and the likes of Eve Hewson, Emily Blunt and Colin Firth in talks for lead roles.

When will ‘Cola Wars’ be in theaters?

Despite the big names attached, ‘Cola Wars’ is still at too early a stage for Sony to assign it a release date.

(L to R) Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow attend the Academy’s 8th Annual Governors Awards in The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, CA, on Saturday, November 12, 2016. Credit/Provider: Aaron Poole / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.