It’s hard to believe it hasn’t happened yet, but a Coke vs. Pepsi movie is finally in the works. According to Deadline, Sony Pictures has paid $1.5 million to acquire a pitch called “Cola Wars” that tells the story of Pepsi’s attempts to steal marketshare from the industry juggernaut, Coca-Cola.
The film will chronicle what was known as the “cola wars” of the 1980s when Coca-Cola and Pepsi duked it out for soda supremacy. The movie will include memorable events like when Michael Jackson got his hair caught on fire filming a Pepsi commercial and when Coca-Cola attempted to launch New Coke only to pull it off the market quickly after a huge backlash.
The Cola Wars script is being written by Jason Shuman and Ben Queen. Shuman is the co-creator and writer of the Apple TV+ series Acapulco. Queen wrote Cars 2 and Cars 3.
Both have been friends since they were teenagers but this is the first time they’re working together. For the record, Deadline notes that Shuman prefers Pepsi and Queen enjoys Coke.
In the real world, Coca-Cola is the No. 1 soda brand worldwide by revenue, with Pepsi in second. Coca-Cola owns not just the iconic Coke soda but also Dasani water, Sprite, Fanta, and Powerade. Pepsi, meanwhile, also owns Mountain Dew and Gatorade, among many others.
It’s still early days, as Sony Pictures only bought the idea for a movie. As mentioned, the script is still being written. There is no word yet on a cast, director, or release date for the film, and in Hollywood, it’s common for movies to be announced and never get made.
