Nicolas Cage, Hollywood’s master of eccentricity, may well have landed his most bizarre role yet.
According to Variety, the Oscar-winning star is set to headline a new scripted drama as Joe Exotic, an exotic zookeeper otherwise known as the Tiger King.
Exotic (real name: Joe Schreibvogel) was the subject of a Netflix docuseries earlier this year, and has since become something of an Internet phenomenon. He is truly a character who defies description, and we understand this new TV project – the first of Cage’s career, no less – will explore the lion’s den across eight episodes.
Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios have issued the green light on this one, which will be based on the Texas Monthly article “Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild,” by Leif Reigstad.
Per Variety, Paul Young and Dan Lagana optioned that article back in the summer of 2019. The latter will now serve as writer, showrunner, and executive producer, with Young executive producing via Make Good Content.
Cage, on the other hand, has been keeping busy with a wide range of film projects. Back in 2018, for instance, he lent his voice the Oscar-winning animated hit Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, and will soon headline The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which he plays… himself. Don’t sleep on that one.
As for Tiger King, the bizarre saga of Joe Exotic isn’t going away anytime soon – in fact, it’s here to stay. Today’s announcement marks the second scripted series to enter development, given Kate McKinnon is attached to star in and executive produce a series based on the Wondery podcast “Joe Exotic.” She’ll play his sworn nemesis, Carole Baskin.