As a lifelong cinephile and avid history buff, I am absolutely thrilled about Steven Spielberg‘s latest venture, “Cola Wars”. While it might seem like an unexpected departure from his usual sci-fi or historical epics, I find it fascinating that he is delving into the real-life struggle between two giants of the consumer world.
Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg has revealed his upcoming production titled “The Battle for the Soda Throne: Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola“, which has been in the works at Sony Pictures under his company, Amblin Entertainment. This movie depicts Pepsi’s efforts to dethrone Coca-Cola as the king of sodas during the 1980s. Spielberg is overseeing the project, while popular director Judd Apatow, famous for his work on The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Girls, has signed on to direct it.
According to Deadline in April 2024, Sony invested more than $1 million into a project, with Jason Shuman and Ben Queen penning the proposal. While Shuman shared credit for the popular Apple TV series “Acapulco” and executive produced HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”, Queen is recognized for his work on “Cars 2”, “3”, and NBC’s “A to Z”. As the project is still in its initial development phase, no cast members have been revealed yet, nor has a sneak peek been unveiled. However, it may resemble Amazon Studios’ “Air”, which told a similar story about Nike attempting to secure a shoe deal with Michael Jordan for their sneaker line, with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck portraying the company’s employees.
Sony spent over $1 million on the project, with Jason Shuman and Ben Queen writing the pitch.
Despite Judd Apatow taking the helm for this project, one may ponder why Spielberg didn’t step in instead. To clarify, Spielberg specializes in visionary directing and has a penchant for crafting extraordinary science-fiction films like “Ready Player One” and “War of the Worlds.” Having just completed “The Fablemans,” which debuted in 2022, Spielberg is now preparing to resume his director’s role with a film centered on UFOs and aliens – although the specifics of the storyline remain undisclosed.
Cola Wars Takes Viewers Back to the 1980s
The movie delves into the intense rivalry between Pepsi and Coca-Cola, with Pepsi attempting to dethrone its long-established competitor in the soda pop industry, despite Coca-Cola’s century-long dominance. This conflict peaked notably during the 1980s, so the upcoming film will focus on the significant events that unfolded during this timeframe.
The struggle between these cola giants, as depicted in the upcoming movie “Cola Wars,” can be traced all the way back to the early 1900s when they launched competitive advertising strategies. Previously, films such as “Flamin’ Hot” and “Air” have garnered significant attention due to the popularity of their respective products, but the history of these cola battles predates them significantly.
For instance, when filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984, the iconic pop artist Michael Jackson lit his hair on fire, resulting in some scalp and facial burns. Despite the fast response of the surrounding personnel, Jackson received third-degree burns. There was also Coca-Cola’s disastrous rebranding incident (New Coke) in 1985, in response to “Pepsi Challenge,” which resulted in a botched attempt that upset many of the company’s loyal customers.
The Cola wars continue to this day, with both corporations fiercely fighting and coming up with new innovations to outperform their rivals. Despite the ever-changing market and a decrease in domestic sales, Coca-Cola remains the market leader, with Pepsi occupying the second position as the valued soft drink brand.
There is currently no release date for Cola Wars.
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2024-09-12 19:31