Nicolas Cage has signed up to play Joe Exotic in a dramatisation of the Tiger King star’s colourful life.
The Leaving Las Vegas actor will portray the eccentric zookeeper made famous by the Netflix documentary in an eight-part series being produced by CBS.
The scripted TV series will focus on the gun-toting wild animal owner who fights to keep his park.
According to Variety, “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.”
It is based on the Texas Monthly article Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into The World Of A Man Gone Wild, by Leif Reigstad.
The 56-year-old actor will also be executive producer on what will be the Oscar-winner’s first ever TV series.
The Netflix doc – Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness – was released in March and is estimated to have reached 34.3 million viewers in its first 10 days, according to Nielsen data.
Joe Exotic – real name is Joe Schreibvogel – is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for plotting the murder of animal rights activist Carole Baskin.
Last month, Donald Trump responded to calls for a pardon for Exotic, after the president’s son, joked he should look into the Tiger King star’s prison sentence.
When the president was asked about the case during a press conference, he said: “I know nothing about it. He has 22 years for what – what did he do?”
Trump, who has shown he is not afraid to wield executive privilege, asked the reporters if they would “recommend a pardon” before jokingly adding: “I’ll take a look.”
