So successful is Netflix’s “Tiger King,” it’s been parlayed into a dramatic series.
Oscar winner Nicolas Cage will star as Joe Exotic in the eight-episode show about the tiger owner now imprisoned for attempted murder. No word yet on which network will air the series.
Dan Lagana (“American Vandal) will serve as writer, showrunner and co-executive producer, along with Paul Young. (The two optioned the original Texas Monthly article about Joe Schreibvogel, aka Joe Exotic, an exotic zookeeper in Oklahoma.)
Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios are producing. Their partnership includes “Why Women Kill” at CBS All Access” and “Swagger” at Apple TV.
Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Samie Kim Falvey will executive produce for Imagine, while Cage will executive produce for Saturn Films.
The series would be Cage’s first TV work; he is best known as a movie actor. He won an Oscar for “Leaving Las Vegas.” He also got an Oscar nod for “Adaptation” and starred in the “National Treasure” films.
Separately, Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”) will star-executive produce a Universal Content Productions series based on “Joe Exotic,” the Wondery podcast. She plays Exotic’s rival Carole Baskin, a big cat-rights activist and CEO of Big Cat Rescue.
Nielsen estimated ‘Tiger King’ reached 34.3 million unique viewers in its first 10 days.