PETA is urging Kate McKinnon and Universal Content Productions and Wilsher Studios president Dawn Olmstead to use only CGI cats in their upcoming scripted series about Joe Exotic (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage), the now-imprisoned big-cat breeder who is the topic of the recently released Netflix docuseries “Tiger King,” TheWrap has learned exclusively.
“We haven’t been able to confirm their production plans, which is why we’re keeping the pressure on,” the animal rights organization told TheWrap on Friday. “Our hope is no real big cats or other animals will be used.”
Last November, McKinnon signed on to star in and executive produce the TV adaptation of Wondery’s “Joe Exotic” podcast, a project that’s still in the development stage at UCP, portraying a big-cat enthusiast named Carole Baskin, who learns that Maldonado-Passage is breeding and using his big cats for profit.