Nicolas Cage to Play Joe Exotic -- Plus, All the Other 'Tiger King'-Inspired Projects Coming to TV!

Stay tuned, all you cool cats and kittens!

If you can't get enough of Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, you're in for a treat!

In addition to the follow-up episode on Netflix and The Tiger King and I, an after-show hosted by Joel McHale, there are several upcoming television projects in the works inspired by Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin and the rest of the cast of characters made famous on the mega-popular Netflix series.

Nicolas Cage is set to play Exotic in a new scripted series from Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios, ET confirmed on May 4. 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.

ET also confirmed in March that Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon will star as Baskin in another limited series, adapted from the Wondery podcast, Over My Dead Body Season 2: Joe Exotic, which also explores Exotic’s fierce love for big cats, his escalating antics and his intense battle with Baskin, who attempted to put him out of business before she was the target of a murder-for-hire plot. 

Rob Lowe is also reportedly in discussions to play Exotic for a new scripted series helmed by American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy. According to Deadline, who was first to report the news, conversations are in very preliminary stages.

The 9-1-1: Lone Star actor fueled the fire in March, when he posted an epic pic of himself posing as the former cat breeder on Instagram. Originally captioned "Rob Exotic," he recently updated it to say, "UPDATE: Ryan Murphy and I will be developing our version of this insane story. Stay tuned!"

Plus, Investigation Discovery recently announced it is working on a “definitive sequel” to Netflix’s Tiger King docuseries, called Investigating the Strange World of Joe Exotic, which will be helmed by Exotic himself. The new special, which does not have a release date, will purportedly include exclusive, unseen footage and the unveiling of “secrets only Joe knows.” 

I-D also recently announced an interview special with Exotic's former producer, Rick Kirkham, which is set to air on Tuesday, June 2 at 10pm 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," the network said of the special, titled 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."

"Kirkham knew he struck gold with the quirky cast of characters and captured all the content he could for his own reality show. But, after a fallout with Exotic, Kirkham found his entire collection of footage ravaged by an arson fire, a criminal act which has yet to be prosecuted. After yet another fire plagued his home in the U.S., Kirkham knew he had to flee for his safety and settled down in a small village in Norway to escape it all. Now, Kirkham is ready to reveal his side of the salacious saga once and for all and will unveil exclusive footage from some material that survived the fire."

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is streaming now on Netflix. See more on the series in the video below.

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