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The show based on the Netflix hit Tiger King, starring Nicolas Cage as Joe Exotic, is no longer happening. Cage has confirmed that Amazon Studios, which was set to release the series, is no longer moving forward with.
In an interview with Variety, Cage explained that Amazon had lost interest because they no longer considered Tiger King “relevant.” He said, “We should clear the record. I read two excellent scripts, which I did think were excellent, but I think Amazon ultimately felt that it was material that had become past tense because it took so long for it come together. They felt at one point that it was lightning in a bottle, but that point has since faded into the distance and it’s no longer relevant.”
Cage was first announced in the role of incarcerated zookeeper and big cat breeder Joe Exotic, real name Joe Schreibvogel, in May 2020, with Amazon signing on as distributor in September. The series was set to be an adaptation of the 2019 Texas Monthly feature on Schreibvogel which also inspired the hugely popular Netflix series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. However, Variety states that producers Imagine and CBS Studios might still shop the project to other potential outlets.
There is still another Tiger King-inspired show in the works. Peacock is producing a new limited series, with John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic and Kate McKinnon as his rival, Carole Baskin. Other cast members include Kyle MacLachlan as Howard Baskin, William Fichtner as Rick Kirkham, Nat Wolff as Travis Maldonado, and Brian Van Holt as John Reinke.
If you’re not familiar with the story of Exotic and Baskin, you can check out GameSpot’s Tiger King coverage, which includes a look at the complete cast of real-life characters and how the series gave the sheriff’s department a new lead into Baskin’s husband’s disappearance.
