John Cameron Mitchell Cast as Joe Exotic in Tiger King Miniseries

Netflix's Tiger King took the world by storm when it debuted back in March 2020 just as much of the world was beginning to quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The series is chaotic, eye-opening, and served up some hilarious memes. Of course, now there are set to be multiple scripted shows inspired by the docuseries' two stars, Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin.

In May 2020 shortly after Tiger King was released, it was announced that the one and only Nicolas Cage would be taking on the role of Joe Exotic in an upcoming show for CBS. And as it turns out, another scripted show with Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon was actually first reported back in 2019, months before Tiger King was released. Now, that version of the eccentric story has found its Joe Exotic.

According to Deadline today, actor John Cameron Mitchell has been cast to play Joe Exotic for the upcoming UCP miniseries coming to NBCUniversal's networks, which includes NBC, Peacock, and USA. You might know Mitchell from shows like Shrill, Mozart in the Jungle, and Girls. He also starred in the 2001 musical movie Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a role for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. Deadline shares a statement from the actor, who says:

"I’m thrilled to take on the role of this modern folk antihero. Joe and I are the same age and like him, I grew up queer in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas so I feel like I know a little bit about this guy and his desperate attempt to conquer an inhospitable world."

It doesn't look like this limited series has an official title or release date yet, but we're excited to hear more about it. To check out all the upcoming shows based on the Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin story, check out this list from Oprah Daily here.