Judd Apatow, Steven Spielberg join 1980s Coke vs. Pepsi film ‘Cola Wars’

Sony is developing a film focused on Pepsi’s efforts to take down dominant Atlanta-based Coca-Cola in the 1980s with producers Judd Apatow and Steven Spielberg attached to the project, according to Deadline.com.

Dubbed “Cola Wars,” the film will feature everything from Michael Jackson’s 1984 Pepsi commercial accident that set his hair on fire and the 1985 New Coke debacle.

Apatow (”Bridesmaids,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) is set to direct. Spielberg (”Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark”) is going to be an executive producer.

Jason Shuman, one of the scriptwriters, produced HBO’s “Winning Time” featuring the Los Angeles Lakers from the late 1970s into the 1980s.

Deadline compared this project to last year’s Ben Affleck-directed film “Air” about Nike’s efforts in the 1980s to sign Michael Jordan to a sneaker deal.

There have been numerous books and articles written about the cola wars as well as a History Channel 2019 special . Billy Joel even referenced it in his 1989 song “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

In 2024, the classic Coca-Cola remains the soda leader and Dr Pepper recently edged ahead of Pepsi for No. 2, according to data collected by Atlanta-based Beverage Digest .

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