EXCLUSIVE: Sony has stepped up with a $1.5 million bid to uncap Cola Wars, a movie pitch that tells 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.
It falls into place alongside films about products like the Ben Affleck-directed Air, about the battle by Nike to win Michael Jordan for a shoe line that transformed the company. There were rival bids massing with elements attached, but Sony stepped up. Maia Eyre, the exec who oversaw the hit Anyone But You, will shepherd this one.
The Cola Wars script will be written by Jason Shuman and Ben Queen. Shuman, whose long relationship with Sony was a big factor here, is the co-creator/writer of Apple’s hit show Acapulco, which begins its third season on May 1. He was the executive producer of HBO’s Winning Time, and the producer of 2022’s Oscar-nominated indie To Leslie.
Verve
Jason Shuman
Queen is currently adapting Naomi Novik’s fantasy novel His Majesty’s Dragon as an hourlong series for Fox. He recently adapted the novella A Note of Explanation by Vita Sackville-West for Netflix. He was the writer of Cars 2 and Cars 3 for Pixar, as well as the creator of NBC’s A to Z and Powerless.
The scribes met at an NYU summer program when they were 16, and subsequently became college roommates when they both attended USC Film School. This is their first project together.
BTW, Queen is a Coke guy, while Shuman prefers Pepsi.
Verve, which has had a challenging week, ends it with one of the biggest pitch deals in awhile, repping all parties involved. Shuman is managed by Fourth Wall Management.
Ben Queen:
Verve