We once asked “How could the ever make a movie about Facebook?” and Hollywood accomplished that. Now, you might be asking “How could they ever make a movie about New Coke?” Hollywood is hoping to answer that question, as the writers behind Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool are already working on it.
Deadline reported Monday that Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, who also worked on Zombieland, are now working on an adaptation of the Real Coke, The Real Story by Thomas Oliver. The duo optioned the book with their own money.
Their film will focus on what droke Coca-Cola to change the formula of the No. 1 soft drink in the world when Pepi appeared to be making up ground with its “Pepsi Challenge” campaign.
No studio is attached, so it will be interesting to see if any of them show interest in the project.
New Coke was introduced on April 23, 1985 and celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. It is considered one of the biggest blunders in American marketing history and the formula only lasted 79 days. The familiar Classic Coke formula was back on store shelves by July 11, 1985.
“We set out to change the dynamics of sugar colas in the United States, and we did exactly that -- albeit not in the way we had planned,” then-CEO Roberto Goizueta said in 1995, notes the official Coke site. “But the most significant result of 'new Coke' by far was that it sent an incredibly powerful signal ... a signal that we really were ready to do whatever was necessary to build value for the owners of our business.”