Some of the most interesting documentaries are ones that start out as one thing and quickly divulge into something else by the end. The filmmakers behind Tiger King no doubt intended to make a docuseries about rival big cat sanctuaries and what they’re doing to help these animals from becoming extinct.
Instead, though, we got a bat-sh*t crazy story about everything from polygamy and cults to missing persons and a murder-for-hire. And the people within this world are so strange and unique that by the end we’re no longer thinking about the animals, but the ones exploiting them for profit. It’s certainly a weakness of the series, but that’s not stopping the creators from thinking about making a sequel.
In fact, producers Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin say they have so much more content available and that because this is an on-going story, another outing might be worth doing. Here’s what the latter had to say about it:
“…To be continued… I mean, yes we have a crazy amount of footage and it’s a story that’s still unfolding. We’re not sure yet, but there could be a follow-up on this story because there’s a lot that’s still unfolding in it, and it’ll be just as dramatic and just as colorful as what has unfolded these past few years.”
Whether the series would be as big as it is without a huge number of people being home due to the coronavirus pandemic is hard to say. But it’s certainly become a phenomenon, with numerous actors campaigning to play roles in an adaptation including Dax Shepard and Edward Norton. Dwayne Johnson even tried to snatch up the rights after binging the show himself.
The lead character of the story, Joe Exotic, is currently serving 22 years in prison, but that won’t stop him from speaking out about a possible set up by rival factions, including Carole Baskin and Jeff Lowe. Both of them could be facing legal problems of their own, too.
Aside from the main characters though, there are so many side stories that we could see more of in a second season. How about the trainers at Exotic’s park, his ex-husband, ex-campaign manager and, of course, Bhagavan “Doc” Antle? He’s also a suspicious figure who we don’t see much of in the last few episodes.
Honestly, Goode and Chaiklin would be foolish not to pursue a sequel to Tiger King. Strike while the iron’s hot because a story like this doesn’t come along very often.
