Tiger King: Nicolas Cage set to play Joe Exotic in scripted series

Nicolas Cage will reportedly star as controversial former zoo owner and big cat enthusiast Joe Exotic in a scripted series about the subjects of Netflix's Tiger King documentary. 

According to Variety, the eight-episode series which is currently in development will be based on a Texas Monthly article entitled 'Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into The World of a Man Gone Wild'. 

Cage is also said to be set to executive produce the show, which will mark his first-ever regular television role.

A blurb about the show reads: "The story centres 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 proposed show about the major players in the strange world of big cat captivity in the US is the second of its kind to be announced. The first scripted series was announced last year and would reportedly star Kate McKinnon as Exotic's nemesis, Carole Baskin. 

Both projects appear to have been in the works before Netflix's Tiger King series dropped in March of this year, instantly becoming a global sensation.