Tiger King TV shows casts John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic

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The new TV drama based on the story of Netflix’sTiger King has cast its Joe Exotic.

Tiger King was a huge hit for the streaming service when it was released in March 2020, and a TV series was commissioned shortly after.

Actor John Cameron Mitchell has been cast to play Exotic in the forthcoming limited series based on the Wondery podcast Joe Exotic: Tiger King.

Mitchell, who has appeared in US TV shows such as Girls and Shrill, will star opposite Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon, who has signed on to play Carole Baskin, the big cat activist against whom Joe “Exotic” Schreibvogel wages a personal vendetta.

“I’m thrilled to take on the role of this modern folk antihero,” said Mitchell in a statement. “Joe and I are the same age and like him, I grew up queer in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas so I feel like I know a little bit about this guy and his desperate attempt to conquer an inhospitable world.”

“It’s clear that an over-the-top character like Joe needed someone very special,” said Steven O’Neill, EVP, Casting & Talent Development, UCP. “We are so excited to have John Cameron Mitchell, an adored icon of the LGBTQ community, take on this compelling role. His casting speaks to our ongoing vision of universal storytelling, and we can’t wait for our audiences to experience the show.”

Joe Exotic is one of two forthcoming adaptations of the story made popular earlier in 2020 by Netflix’s hit docuseries Tiger King. The other series is set to star Nicolas Cage as Joe Exotic and is currently in development at Amazon.

The real Exotic was arrested on 7 September 2018 for conspiring to murder Baskin after he hired an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman. He was also charged with killing five tigers in late 2017 and offering to sell tiger cubs. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison in January 2020.

Joe Exotic (currently a working title) will air on all of UCP’s properties, including NBC, USA Network, and Peacock.