Nicolas Cage to Play 'Tiger King' Star Joe Exotic in a New TV Series

Nicolas Cage is set to appear in a series centered on Joe Exotic, the focus of the popular Netflix docuseries "Tiger King."

Nicolas Cage is set to take on a role in a scripted series that is focused on Joe Exotic, who was the primary topic of the Netflix docuseries "Tiger King."

The information, which was exclusively shared by Variety, claims that the eight-episode series is to be produced by CBS Television Studios and Imagine Television Studios.

[Joe Exotic] previously named David Spade or Brad Pitt as the ideal actor to play him in any future television or film adaptation.

Fox News noted that the series would be based on the Texas Monthly article "Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey into the World of a Man Gone Wild," written by Leif Reigstad instead of "Tiger King."

While Dan Lagana will act as writer, showrunner, and executive producer, Paul Young will executive produce via Make Good Content.

Nicholas, himself, would play the role of Joe Exotic in the story that focuses on him risking everything he has, including his sanity, to keep his zoo.

Not only will the show tell the real-life story of the Oklahoma zookeeper, but it will also clarify how he became lost in a public persona of his own making.

Amid the news about the series, NBC News reported that Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joe Schreibvogel, is serving a 22-year prison sentence.

The sentence came as a result of his murder-for-hire plot that targeted animal rights activist, Carole Baskin. The zookeeper is also serving time for more than a dozen wildlife violations, which includes killing five tigers.

While the untitled project would mark Nicholas's first time into the land of television, the actor was not the first choice for Joe Exotic's shortlist of actors to represent him in film or television.

According to The Guardian, the zookeeper previously named David Spade or Brad Pitt as the ideal actor to play him in any future television or film adaptation.

One of the Netflix series' directors, Rebecca Chaiklin, informed the Hollywood Reporter of Joe Exotic's preference even though he referred to David Spade as "Joe Dirt."

Joe Dirt was David's character from the 2001 titular comedy, which was described by the late critic, Roger Ebert, as a low budget "Forrest Gump."