Nicolas Cage is reportedly set to play Joe Exotic, the over-the-top and disturbing zookeeper from Netflix’s hit docuseries Tiger King, in a new scripted miniseries.
The National Treasure star will play the eccentric exotic animal breeder in an eight-part series based on a Texas Monthly feature about Joe Exotic, Variety exclusively reported Monday. It will be Cage’s first television role after a whirlwind career in Hollywood.
Cage will also serve as an executive producer on the project, which is reportedly being produced by CBS Television Studios and Imagine Television Studios, according to Variety.
Tiger King dove into the bizarre world of exotic zookeepers, animal abuse, and murder-for-hire plots, serving up insane twist after twist. The series was a viral sensation for Netflix, with much of the attention focused on Joe Exotic himself.
The renewed interest in the true-crime case has driven Hollywood and TV executives wild, with SNL star Kate McKinnon reportedly in line for the role of animal rescue owner Carol Baskins in a separate spinoff.
