Nicolas Cage is set to star in a Tiger King adaptation from American Vandal showrunner, Dan Lagana, Variety reports. Cage will portray Joseph Maldonado-Passage, better known as Joe Exotic, the former zoo operator from the hit Netflix docu-series.
Produced by Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios, the eight-episode series will draw from Leif Reigstad's Texas Monthly article, "Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild," spotlighting how Maldonado-Passage became Joe Exotic and eventually lost himself in the character he created.
Lagana will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer for the project, while Paul Young — who optioned the article with Lagana in June 2019 — is also executive producing. Cage will be an executive producer as well, in addition to Scott Brown and Megan Creydt.
The Tiger King adaptation will give Cage his first regular television role. Well known for his film work, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1996 for Leaving Las Vegas.
There have been talks of multiple Tiger King spin-offs since the release of the buzzing Netflix documentary, including a scripted series with Kate McKinnon portraying Joe Exotic's nemesis, Carole Baskin. For more on the Nicolas Cage-starring project, visit Variety.
