Nicolas Cage is getting exotic for his first-ever television role.
The actor is set to play Tiger King star Joe Exotic in a new scripted series from Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios, ET can confirm. American Vandal showrunner Dan Lagana will serve as writer, showrunner, and executive producer on the eight-episode series, which is based on the Texas Monthly article “Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild,” by Leif Reigstad.
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"The story centers around Joe Schreibvogel, a.k.a Joe Exotic, an eccentric, exotic zookeeper in Oklahoma who fights to keep his park even at the risk of losing his sanity," Variety reports. "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."
The series is one of many projects inspired by the mega-popular Netflix series. It was previously announced that Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon will play Joe Exotic's rival, Carole Baskin, in a limited series adapted from the Wondery podcast, Over My Dead Body Season 2: Joe Exotic. Rob Lowe is also reportedly in discussions to play Exotic for a new scripted series helmed by American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy.
On Monday, Investigation Discovery also announced an upcoming interview special with Exotic's former producer, Rick Kirkham, which is set to premiere Tuesday, June 2, at 9 p.m. PT/ET.
"In his self-proclaimed last interview regarding Tiger King, TV producer Rick Kirkham opens up in an explosive tell-all to expose the truths behind what he saw at the G.W. Zoo and his time with the eccentric figure, Joe Exotic," reads I-D's press release announcing the special, The Truth Behind Joe Exotic: The Rick Kirkham Story. "In this one-hour special, Kirkham shares insights into how his nightmare began, and how he faced his point of no return just three months after being hired to produce Exotic’s internet show."
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is streaming now on Netflix. See more on the series in the video below.
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