Rival Tiger King TV shows in the works as Hollywood stars sign on
Nicolas Cage has signed on to play Joe Exotic in one of two upcoming Tiger King TV shows. Photo: TND
Two new TV shows based on the phenomenon that is Netflix’s Tiger King are set to go head-to-head, with Hollywood stars signing up to tell the tale of Joe Exotic and his nemesis, Carole Baskin.
Dennis Quaid is preparing to sink his teeth into a new role alongside Emmy-winning comedian Kate McKinnon in Peacock’s dramatised, limited series titled Joe Exotic.
McKinnon is set to play big cat-loving (and alleged black widow) Carole Baskin, while Quaid will play Tiger King producer and journalist Rick Kirkham.
The series is based on the Wondery podcast titled Joe Exotic: Tiger King and will feature Tony Award-winning actor John Cameron Mitchell as the titular character.
Brian Van Holt (Cougar Town) will play zoo manager John Reinke, while Nat Wolff and Sam Keely will portray Joe Exotic’s husbands, Travis Maldonado and John Finlay.
Tipped to be filmed in Australia, it is understood the series will explore a different side of the famous big cat rivalry.
The series will follow tiger-print queen Carole Baskin as she learns eccentric animal enthusiast, Joe ‘Exotic’ Schreibvogel, is profiting off his homemade zoo.
Baskin endeavours to close Exotic’s business, causing an all-out war between the two which results in an attempted murder conviction.
Soon, rumours of another murder plot from Baskin’s past surface.
If Netflix’s enormously popular lockdown companion series taught us anything, it’s that truth is stranger than fiction.
But this time around, there are a few different fictions to choose from.
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Too many tigers?
Quaid and McKinnon’s Joe Exotic for Peacock isn’t the only Tiger King iteration coming to our screens.
Another as-yet untitled series staring Nicolas Cage as Joe Exotic is currently in its pre-production phase.
Nicolas Cage and Denis Quaid will star in two rival Tiger King shows. Photo: Getty
This version has already found a home at Amazon Prime and is expected to run for eight episodes.
Cage’s project will be based on a 2019 Texas Monthly story about Exotic, how he built his homemade private zoo in Oklahoma, and his rivalries with fellow zoo and sanctuary owners, Baskin and Jeff Lowe.
While the Tiger King craze of March 2020 seems almost a distant memory, will the introduction of two new series about the same man be enough to revive the mania?
Or is it time to let sleeping tigers lie?
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