Tiger King: Joe Exotic Wants Brad Pitt To Star In Biopic
Tiger King star Joe Exotic has spoken up about just who he'd like to have play him in a movie about his life, and Brad Pitt is high on his list.
Joe Exotic, the infamous and polarizing star of Netflix's Tiger King, has spoken up about just who he'd like to have play him in a movie about his life. The Tiger King docu-series has captured the attention of the quarantined masses like nothing else since the world's collective self-isolation began. It's also made instant stars out of its collection of eccentric, and sometimes monstrous, personalities. The series centers on Joe Maldonado-Passage, better known as Joe Exotic, as his life becomes increasingly entrenched in the horrors of the American big cat trade and his rivalry and partnerships with shady characters like Doc Antle, Jeff Lowe, and Carole Baskin.
The story's widespread appeal has fast-tracked a fictionalized version which, much to Dwayne Johnson's chagrin, had its rights snapped up well before the documentary aired. That adaptation will be a limited series that will be produced by and star Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin. The role of Joe Exotic, on the other hand, is very much up for grabs with big names like Dax Shepard and Edward Norton throwing their names into the ring.
Neither of those names made the shortlist of the man himself, though. Per THR, Joe informed series director Rebecca Chaiklin that his preferred fictional stand-ins are recent Oscar winner Brad Pitt and Happy Madison regular David Spade, or as Exotic refers to him: Joe Dirt.
Joe Exotic has quickly become the most coveted role in Hollywood as the larger-than-life personality in the insane but serious dramatic setting lends all kinds of possibilities for a talented actor to work with. This is especially true as it offers the opportunity for an antagonistic role opposite someone of Kate McKinnon's talents. In the Twitter exchange between Dax Shepard and Edward Norton, Justin Long chimed in about the eventual biopic being a ticket to the Oscars, and he's probably not wrong about the immediate awards attention the role will garner. With that in mind, it's not impossible to see someone of Pitt's caliber taking interest in the role, though for his specific attention it would likely have to be a movie instead of a series.
That said, it seems unlikely that Hollywood would try to glam Joe up to Brad Pitt levels, so "Joe Dirt" makes for a smart safety pick, even if it seems more born out of mullet familiarity than anything else. Fan casting has turned itself elsewhere, however, with hopeful recommendations like Ben Stiller and Sam Rockwell. With seemingly all of Hollywood focusing their attention on this one project, fans likely won't have to wait long to see who earns the role of the titular Tiger King.
Source: THR