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Cool cats and kittens everywhere will be excited to learn that a dramatic retelling of lockdown sensation Tiger King is confirmed to be in production. An array of A-list stars have been confirmed to star in the new series based on Joe Exotic, who shot to fame in the 2020 Netflix documentary.
The series comes from the US Peacock company, and will delve into the stranger-than-fiction true story of the rivalry between Joe Exotic and big cat nemesis Carole Baskin.
The new series will be based on the Podcast made by Wondery:
We all have limits. And some people who are pushed beyond those limits will do unspeakable things. From Wondery, “Joe Exotic: Tiger King,” is the story of a man who has devoted his life to raising and breeding lions, tigers, and other exotic animals at his Oklahoma zoo. He croons ballads, shoots guns, and puts it all on YouTube. But throughout his career, he’s made a lot of enemies. And the biggest of all is the owner of a big cat sanctuary in Florida named Carole Baskin. The feud between Joe Exotic and Carole gets messy, vicious, and outrageous — until both of them are pushed far beyond their limits. Reported and hosted by Rob Moor.
The series will be written by Etan Frankel, who will also be the executive producer on the project. Other executive producers have been named as Kate McKinnon, Hernan Lopez, Marshall Lewy, and Aaron Hart.
Texan actor and director John Cameron Mitchell will take the lead role of Joe Exotic in the upcoming show, and is best known for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shortbus, and How To Talk To Girls At Parties.
Comedic actor Kate McKinnon will take the role of leading lady Carole Baskin. Best known for her regular appearances on Saturday Night Live and the remake of Ghostbusters, McKinnon will no doubt be great at channelling big cat energy.
Kyla McLachlan is set to play Carole’s husband Harold Baskin. Previous series McLachlan is best known for include Twin Peaks, Sex and the City, and Desperate Housewives. Incredibly, this may be his most outlandish role and series to date.
William Fichtner takes on the role of Rick Kirkham, who was the filmmaker and reality TV producer who had previously documented Joe Exotic and assisted with the media. Fichtner is best known for his previous roles in Armageddon, Drive Angry, and Crash.
Brian Van Holt is set to play the likeable manager and zookeeper of Joe Exotic’s park, John Reinke. Reinke was a hit with Tiger King audiences, and will be portrayed by Van Holt who is best known for previous work in Black Hawk Down, Basic, and S.W.A.T.
Actor and singer-songwriter Nat Wolff will be playing Joe’s previous husband Travis Maldonado. In what will no doubt be an emotional role, Wolff will portray Maldonado who tragically ended his life at the animal enclosure. Wolff is best known for The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns.
Irish actor Sam Keeley will perform as another fan favourite John Finlay, who was Joe’s ex-husband. Keeley is best known for his role in the British series Misfits, and war film Anthropoid. Finlay made waves with Tiger King fans last year who were pleased to see he was doing well following the show’s viral reception.
Joe Exotic is currently still imprisoned and serving a 22 year sentence for animal abuse charges and a murder-for-hire plot against Carole Baskin. He had very publicly urged former President Trump for a pardon, and has also reached out to current President Biden and Vice President Harris on Twitter, and is still highly active on social media despite his current predicament.
Exotic maintains his innocence and is keeping busy online; he has opened a cannabis store, is planning a book release in November, and is currently hosting a romantic competition titled ‘Bachelor King’.
Joe Exotic’s Attorney, John Phillips, is confident he will get Joe released by year end or sooner with new evidence. Joe is preparing for the future. Men, you can enter to win Bachelor King. Details at https://t.co/C80BdzZyOv and enter to win a romantic trip with the Tiger King!
— Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) July 5, 2021
Carole Baskin has continued her mission as the founder of Big Cat Rescue, and vehemently denies the rumours that were sparked in the Netflix documentary regarding the disappearance of her husband Don Lewis in 1997. Following a stint on Dancing With The Stars, Baskin explained that she had been approached about the upcoming series, saying to Metro:
“The people at Wondery came out to me and said they’re going to do a scripted series with Kate McKinnon and they asked me if I’d sign over my life’s rights to it. I said ‘No, my life isn’t done yet. when I get done, when I fix this problem, then maybe I’ll sign my life rights over but not until then’.”
Baskin has attempted to retort to the backlash faced from the original series, consistently addressing the issues and rumours.
When the new series is completed, it seems certain there will be an audience will be lying in wait, ready to consume it.
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Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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