In what sounded like a fever dream, there were talks of a Tiger King TV series starring Nicolas Cage. The actor was due to star as the infamous Joe Exotic, and fans were puzzled yet intrigued.
Sadly for some, this may no longer be an opportunity. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Amazon has scrapped the project and will no longer move forward with production. THR does note that “CBS Studios will likely shop the project to other outlets.”
Producers envisioned the show as an eight-episode limited series and would drive into the world of Joe Exotic. The scripted series, based on the 2020 Netflix docuseries, would focus on Nic Cage’s Joe as “he fights to keep his animal park even at the risk of losing his sanity.”
Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness was a huge success in 2020, which came out around the start of the pandemic. It followed Joe Exotic as he feuded over his zoo with Carole Baskin and Jeff Lowe. According to Nielsen ratings, the series was watched by 34.3 million people over its first ten days of release.
The reason that this project has lost Amazon’s interest is apparent. THR notes that interest “had waned and Tiger King was no longer relevant.” There’s no shock to that statement as the docuseries had its moment but has lost its steam following its dynamic start. Though anyone is interested in seeing a Tiger King series, there’s still one in the works. Peacock is in production on its take on the story, which will star Kate McKinnon to play Baskin and John Cameron Mitchell starring as Joe Exotic.
