Tiger King scripted TV series starring Nicolas Cage as Joe Exotic being shopped to networks
The series is based on Leif Reigstad's June 2019 article Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild
A scripted drama series starring Nicolas Cage as Joe Exotic is set to be shopped to networks in the coming days, according to reports.
Though not broadcaster has yet been set, Variety suggests that the series will be taken to market imminently, less than two months after Netflix docuseries Tiger King debuted to much fanfare in March.
The eight episode series will not be based specifically on Tiger King, instead being adapted from Leif Reigstad's article Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild, which appeared in Texas Monthly in June 2019.
The series will reportedly explore the circumstances which led to Exotic, born Joe Schreibvogel, becoming the man we saw in Tiger King and document his struggle to keep hold of his park.
Dan Lagana, who has previously served as showrunner on Netflix's hit mockumentary series American Vandal, has been hired in the same role for this series, while executive producers include Texas Monthly's Scott Brown and Megan Creydt.
Cage being hired to play Joe Exotic has caused great excitement on social media, with Tiger King fans describing the casting as "purrfect" - the series marks the Academy Award winning actor's first regular small screen role.
News of who might join the Raising Arizona and National Treasure star in the cast is thin on the ground at this stage, but Cage's involvement suggests that other big names could also join the project.
This series isn't the only scripted drama focusing on Joe Exotic currently in the works - Kate McKinnon is attached to star as Carole Baskin in a separate series based on the Wondery podcast Joe Exotic.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.