‘Tiger King’ Was Such a Hit That There’s Talk of a Movie in the Works
May 4 2020, Updated 10:58 p.m. ET
Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness took the world by storm. The success of the docuseries is unparalleled. The series is filled with a ragtag cast of characters that no scripted show could ever replicate and takes viewers into the wild world of owning big cats and working in the entertainment industry. This show has so many layers, it would take us weeks to peel them all back.
We also cannot forget about the true-crime aspect of the series, which involves theft, fraud, and a murder for hire plot. Also, we can’t forget that this series came out right during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when we were all ordered to stay home. There was really nothing to do but sit on the couch and binge-watch this trainwreck.
The show has been so popular that there is now a series in the works. With a series underway, many are wondering if there is going to be a Tiger King movie as well. Signs are pointing to yes!
A ‘Tiger King’ movie is reportedly in the works.
According to The Sun, producers at 20th Century Fox are in the early stages of planning a movie based on the shocking show, which centers on eccentric zookeeper Joe 'Exotic' Maldonado-Passage and his feuds with other big-cat park owners in the US.
A movie insider said: “The popularity of the series has been unprecedented and they think a film about it could be even more dramatic...The film could shed light on some details behind the scenes that were not shown in the Netflix series.”
There’s a lot of buzz about who should play Joe Exotic.
As far as casting goes, there has been a lot of chatter about what actors will play what big cat owners. The Sun reported that Tiger King directors Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaikin have recently spoken to Joe Exotic in prison, where he said he thought Brad Pitt or David Spade could play him in a feature film.
On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, David Spade was asked if he’d be up for portraying Joe in a Tiger King movie and he said, “I don't know. It depends. There's [my talk] show and there's getting time off and all that….Joe Exotic said me or Brad Pitt. I see Brad Pitt at auditions all the time and it's always tense...But I think Joe is a little too squirrely for Brad. That might be wishful thinking because Brad is so studly.”
Nicolas Cage is set to star in a scripted series centered on Joe Exotic.
According to Variety, the eight-episode series based on the docuseries is being produced by Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios.
This is the second announced scripted series about the world of Tiger King. The first scripted series was set to be produced by Saturday Night Live star, Kate McKinnon, with her also playing the of Carole Baskin. According to sources, the studio is still seeking a writer for the project.
