A Nicolas Cage-led scripted series about “Tiger King’s” Joe Exotic is in the works at Amazon Prime Video, TheWrap has learned.
The project, which is based on Leif Reigstad’s Texas Monthly article “Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild,” has been in development at CBS TV Studios and Imagine Entertainment since May.
Here’s the logline for the potential show, which is not to be confused with Kate McKinnon’s Joe Exotic scripted series, which was ordered by NBC, Peacock and USA Network: The story centers around Joe Shreibvogel, an eccentric, exotic zookeeper in Oklahoma who fights to keep his park — even at the risk of losing his sanity. The series will live in the lion’s den with Joe, explore how he became Joe Exotic, and how he lost himself to a character of his own creation.
The scripted series will be written and showrun by “American Vandal” boss Dan Lagana, who along with Paul Young optioned the rights to Reigstad’s article. Along with Lagana and Young, the show will be executive prodcued by Brian Grazer and Samie Kim Falvey for Imagine, Cage for his Saturn Films banner, and Scott Brown and Megan Creydt for Texas Monthly.
The project will be co-produced by Amazon Studios, Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios.
Cage’s recent and upcoming credits includes “Mandy,” “Color Out of Space,” “Prisoners of the Ghostland,” “Pig,” “Croods 2” and “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.”
He is repped by WME, Stride Management and Attorney Patrick Knapp of Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.