Nicolas Cage is set to portray Tiger King star Joe Exotic in a new scripted series form Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios, Entertainment Tonight confirms. American Vandal showrunner Dan Lagana will serve as the series’ writer, showrunner, and executive producer. The new Tiger King scripted series will be eight episodes long, and based on the Texas Monthly article Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild by Lief Reigstad.
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“The story centers around Joe Schreibvogel, a.k.a Joe Exotic, an eccentric, exotic zookeeper in Oklahoma who fights to keep his park even at the risk of losing his sanity,” Variety reported of the new scripted series. “The series will live in the lion’s den with Joe, explore how he became Joe Exotic, and how he lost himself to a character of his own creation.”
The new Tiger King scripted series is one of several projects inspired by the hit Netflix docuseries. Previously, it was announced that Saturday Night Live‘s Kate McKinnon would play Joe Exotic’s rival, Carole Baskin, in a limited series adapted from the Wondery podcast, Over My Dead Body Season 2: Joe Exotic. According to Deadline, Rob Lowe is reportedly in early discussions to portray Exotic for the other scripted series helmed by American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy.
On Monday, May 4, Investigation Discovery announced an upcoming interview special with Exotic’s former producer, Rick Kirkham, which is set to premiere on Tuesday, June 2, at 9 p.m. PT/ET.
“In his self-proclaimed last interview regarding Tiger King, TV producer Rick Kirkham opens up in an explosive tell-all to expose the truths behind what he saw at the G.W. Zoo and his time with the eccentric figure, Joe Exotic,” reads I-D’s press release announcing the special, The Truth Behind Joe Exotic: The Rick Kirkham Story. “In this one-hour special, Kirkham shares insights into how his nightmare began, and how he faced his point of no return just three months after being hired to produce Exotic’s internet show.”