Rob Lowe is said to be in preliminary talks with Ryan Murphy to take on the role of Joe Exotic, the central figure in the wildly popular Netflix docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, in a new scripted adaptation.
According to Deadline, Lowe and Murphy are considering producing their own version of the Tiger King tale, though it’s not currently known whether the project would take the form of a movie or limited series, as discussions are apparently still in the very early stages.
Lowe teased the Tiger King-inspired project over on Instagram where he posted a series of photos dressed up as Joe “Exotic” Maldonado-Passage, wearing a blonde wig, baseball cap and cheetah print shirt.
“Rob Exotic. UPDATE: Ryan Murphy and I will be developing our version of this insane story. Stay tuned!” Lowe wrote in the accompanying caption.
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In real life, Joe is currently serving 22-years in federal prison for two counts of a murder-for-hire plot against Carole Baskin, the operator of Big Cat Rescue, and over twelve wildlife violations, including the killing of five tigers, per a report from The Washington Post.
Joe is the central character in Netflix’s Tiger King documentary, which has experienced a huge “lightning in a bottle” moment recently, as people have been on the lookout for buzz-worthy things to watch while in self-isolation due to coronavirus (COVID-19).
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In our review of Tiger King, we called it “a fascinating and depressing look inside a community of big cat fanatics,” which would make a worthy addition to the watchlists of “true crime fans hungry for something different.”
For more on the series, read our follow-up piece to find out what happened to the cast of colourful characters and take a look at our rundown of recommendations for other true crime shows and movies available to stream right now.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Source: IGN.com Rob Lowe in Early Talks With Ryan Murphy to Star in Scripted Joe Exotic Project