Nicolas Cage is playing Joe Exotic in a new Tiger King TV show because of course he is
Tiger King star Joe Exotic (L) originally wanted Brad Pitt to play him in any adaptions of his life. We guess he’ll have to settle for Nicolas Cage. (Araya Diaz/Getty Images)
Nicolas Cage will play Joe Exotic in an upcoming scripted series based on the Tiger King star because, let’s face it, who else could play a gun-toting polyamorous gay redneck?
According to Variety Monday afternoon, an eight-episode series starring Nicolas Cage is being produced by Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios.
It is based on “Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into The World Of A Man Gone Wild”, a Texas Monthly article by Leif Reigstad.
Cage, 56, will be an executive producer and the script will be written by American Vandal showrunner Dan Lagana. It will be Cage’s first television role.
We do, however, appreciate the irony of Cage being cast to play a zookeeper who kept tigers and other big cats in, well, cages.
The Nicolas Cage Joe Exotic series isn’t the only one, however.
The Nicolas Cage take on Joe Exotic and the events of the Netflix series Tiger King is one of many, many adaptions to have erupted out of the show’s roaring success this year.
Firstly, there’s an adaptation of Tiger King in the works with director Ryan Murphy, the creator of Hollywood and essentially wrote anything remotely queer on television.
He has cast Outsiders star Rob Lowe in the leading role, blessing us all with a truly cursed image of the 56-year-old with a handlebar moustache.
Moreover, a TV drama version of the events of Tiger King is in the pipeline and has been since November. Kate McKinnon is set to play Carole Baskin in the upcoming series.
One of these guys is Brad Pitt and the other is Joe Exotic. But which one? We honestly cannot tell. Help! (Netflix Steve Granitz/WireImage via Getty Images)
Exotic has not yet been cast in that particular production, but dozens of celebrities have thrown their hats into the ring, including Shepard, Jared Leto, Shane West and Edward Norton.
American DJ Diplo offered his own dream roster of actors, casting himself as Exotic with Prince Charles as Baskin’s softly-spoken husband Howard.
Exotic, according to series director Rebecca Chaiklin, suggested Brad Pitt or David Space play him.
Former flame to Exotic, John Finlay, put forward Channing Tatum to play himself, while Saff – who likely suffered back problems from shouldering the moral weight of the entire show on his shoulders – said he wants Tayler Lautner to play him.
