In the midst of the craziness that is 2020, the Tiger King phenomenon lives on. Even if you haven’t watched the seven part Netflix series, you’ve undoubtedly heard about it. Breakout star Joe Exotic, who is currently serving a 22 year sentence in an Oklahoma prison, was even mentioned during one of President Donald Trump’s press conferences. He has become a bona fide star.
Fans have been hungry for more Tiger King content since the series dropped on Netflix. The series could not have come at a more perfect time. When news broke of a scripted version of the story, the Internet went crazy. Twitter was wild with casting suggestions on which stars should play characters like Carole Baskin and Doc Antle. And now, the first official casting announcement has been made.
Variety reported that Academy Award winning actor Nicolas Cage is set to play Joe Exotic in a scripted, eight-episode series. I am already imagining Nicolas with a bleached mullet and eyebrow rings. A lot of fans suggested that David Spade play Joe due to the physical resemblance. There was even a rumor that Margot Robbie might be in the running. But I think Nicolas is going to be nothing short of amazing.
While Tiger King is new to all of us, the scripted series has been in the works since 2019. As for the story itself, it sounds like we are going to dive deep into the mind of Joe and gain a better understanding of why he is the way he is. “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. 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,” Variety reports.
RELATED: President Trump Responds To Question About Pardoning Tiger King Star Joe Exotic
From the sound of it, I honestly think the scripted version of Tiger King could be even crazier than the docu-series. The docu-series focused on so many characters who each brought their own version of crazy. I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s just something about Joe. I was rooting for him, and I still am. We are going to be given a closer look into the mind of a man who owned a zoo and ran for governor of Oklahoma at the same damn time. This is going to be a wild ride, and I’m so here for it.
While we await more casting news for this series, I think Nicolas Cage is absolutely perfect for this role. I keep remembering his “bring me the big knife” scene in Moonstruck. If Nicolas brings that same crazed intensity to the new Tiger King series, he will not disappoint.
RELATED: Tiger King Star Joe Exotic’s Husband Dillon Passage Says Joe Would ‘Support’ Him Pursuing Another Relationship
TELL US- DO YOU THINK NICOLAS CAGE WAS A GOOD CHOICE TO PLAY JOE EXOTIC? WHO DO YOU WANT TO SEE PLAY THE OTHER TIGER KING CAST MEMBERS?
[Photo Credit: Netflix]
