The global craze for all things Tiger King is dying down a bit, but the story of Joseph Maldonado-Passage – aka Joe Exotic – is still a hot property. Ever since the documentary hit it big, there’s been rumors of many film adaptations being in the works. But it looks like American Horror Story and Feud creator Ryan Murphy is set to be first out of the gate.
The Production Weekly blog releases a weekly rundown of what’s in development and the latest list has added “Untitled Joe Exotic Project.” Murphy, whose new Netflix series Hollywood covers the lives of several troubled stars of the golden age, is set to helm the movie, which is described thusly:
Centers on the story of Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka “Joe Exotic,” a former Oklahoma tiger-zoo owner who’s serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against Carole Baskin, who was trying to shut down his big-cat operation.”
Also named in the listing is Rob Lowe, who recently starred in Netflix’s Holiday in the Wild and collaborated with Murphy on 9-1-1. It seems that Lowe is set to play the title role of Joe Exotic, which fits in with the recent picture he posted to Instagram wearing full ultra-trashy gear. Prior to seeing this photo, I had my doubts about Lowe in the role (surely Danny McBride is the obvious choice), but it looks like he could really pull it off.
In any case, knowing Murphy’s superhuman work ethic, I’d imagine that we’ll be seeing more of the project sooner rather than later. With any luck, we’ll get some further casting news on this Tiger King adaptation over the coming months, and here’s hoping that some of the smarter fan choices posted on social media in the wake of the documentary series come to pass. Lisa Kudrow as Carole Baskin, anyone?
