The Netflix docuseries, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, tells the story of the mullet-haired, gun-toting, flashy-dressing Joe Exotic, who owned the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma and his intense feud with Carole Baskin, who owns the Big Cat Sanctuary in Tampa, Florida. Joe hated Carole so much, in fact, that he made videos insulting and even mock killing her. A sordid tale eventually led to a supposed murder-for-hire plot.
While this was real life, it really is the stuff of movies. The story has so many other twists and turns including Joe’s polygamist gay life, a reality show producer, con man, and the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy millionaire. So which actors would we love to see play these characters in a film? Here’s our ideal fancasting.
Joe Exotic: Woody Harrelson
There have been so many actors names bandied about in terms of who could play Joe Exotic: from the most obvious choice of David Spade, who played the very similar character Joe Dirt in the movie of the same name and its sequel (for the record, he said he doesn’t think he could pull off the character), to Dax Shepard and Edward Norton who have both expressed interest. Other potentials include Kevin Bacon, Billy Bob Thornton, and Ben Stiller. Exotic himself has reportedly said he’d love to see either Spade or Brad Pitt play him.
But as a fan of both the docuseries and this actor’s resume, we’ll have to go with Woody Harrelson. He is of the right age, could easily pull off the accent, and eccentric is his middle name. He’d be absolutely perfect.
John Reinke: Matthew McConaughey
Even David Spade suggested that McConaughey might be the perfect actor to play the baseball cap and T-shirt-wearing employee of the exotic animal park. Reinke remained loyal to Joe until the end. But his most defining feature was that he lost both his legs due to a previous bungee jumping accident (he was an instructor) and walked around with two prosthetics.
While it would require some CGI for McConaughey to look as though he, too, has prosthetics, the accent and demeanor of the character fit perfectly with the actor’s style. And while some might prefer to see McConaughey as a shirtless John Finlay, he’d be great as Reinke.
Carole Baskin: Wendi McLendon-Covey
We already know that Saturday Night Live cast member Kate McKinnon has secured this role for the upcoming scripted TV project. But other names that have been mentioned include Allison Janney, Kristen Wiig, Jennifer Coolidge, and Laura Dern.
Those are all good choices, but we’d love to see Wendi McLendon-Covey show more of her acting chops in this role. We can already see her greeting the cameras with “hey all you cool cats and kittens!” She plays the upbeat mom in the period sitcom The Goldbergs but could easily don some tiger print, hop on a bicycle, and transform into Baskin.
Doc Antle: John C. Reilly
While the fan favorites here seem to be actors like Will Ferrell, Jim Gaffigan, Tim Robbins, and Matt Damon, we’ll go with John C. Reilly as the perfect actor to play the polyamorous big cat park owner.
Assuming the film would be dubbed a comedy more so than a drama, he would be the perfect actor to play the overly confident big cat park owner who apparently loves the ladies and engages in polyamorous relationships. Who should play his ladies? Some have suggested The Pussycat Dolls.
Travis Maldonado: Pete Davidson
Hollywood standards would suggest Rami Malek as a great actor to play the handsome young, drug-addicted man. But if we’re going for accuracy, Maldonado was a strapping, very tall and tanned-skin man. Malek checks many of the boxes, but Maldonado was a towering man of almost 6’5”.
Some other names mentioned among popular strings include James Franco, Michael Cera, and Jesse Eisenberg, but none quite fits the bill. Who do we think might be best? Based on looks, height, and comedic talent, we’d say Saturday Night Live‘s Pete Davidson. While he doesn’t have any real acting experience, he fits the look and with some training, might be able to pull off the small but impactful role of Joe’s third husband (married while still married to John Finlay) and unfortunate meth addict.
John Finlay: Shia LeBeouf
The most popular candidate among fans for this position is Channing Tatum, but that might simply be because Finlay apparently loved to go shirtless and who wouldn’t want to see a shirtless Tatum? Leonardo DiCaprio might also be an interesting choice for the role.
But for this role, we think a shaved-head Shia LaBeouf could pull it off flawlessly. LaBeouf loves taking on challenging roles and ones where he has to fully morph into someone who is unique and interesting. Finlay certainly fits the bill.
Rick Kirkham: Billy Bob Thornton
This role is totally right up Billy Bob Thornton’s alley and we can see him donning the cowboy hat and smoking on camera during his interview as he discusses how he was so convinced that Joe’s story would have made a reality show worthy of making him retire.
Thornton has tremendous range, able to play everyone from a drunken mall Santa in Bad Santa to a terrifying hitman in Fargo. We could see him as a greedy producer looking to fund Joe’s cheesy web series in exchange for having his crew at the park filming 24/7. He’s both Hollywood and country man, which is exactly how we see Thornton.
Saff Saffery: Suzy Nakamura
He was arguably the only level-headed person on the docuseries, and given his Asian descent, we’d like to see an Asian actor being given the role. Who could do it? We could actually see Lou Diamond Philips in the role since he’s an incredibly versatile actor with tons of experience.
But given her wonderful performance and understated humor in HBO series Avenue 5, our money is on Suzy Nakamura for this role. She has sitcom experience with series like Dr. Ken along with dramatic roles in series like The West Wing.
Jeff Lowe: Michael Rooker
He’s arrogant, walks around with a swagger, ripped jeans, and a bandana and baseball cap on his head as though it’s a daily uniform. He has a girlfriend but clearly has no issues stepping out of his relationship. And he claims to have tons of money and relishes on living a lavish lifestyle.
He’s clearly a villain of sorts on the series, masquerading as a knight in shining armor. And while Brad Pitt might be able to pull this role off, we think Michael Rooker would be a great choice instead.
Howard Baskin: Stephen Merchant
Fans are clamoring for the hilarious Stephen Merchant to play Howard Baskin on the show, and the actor has already said that he’s up for the job, retweeting a Tweet that suggests he should do it, saying “I’m in.”
Aside from the striking resemblance – just color Merchant’s hair grey and it’s a done deal – Merchant has the acting chops to turn the performance into a truly comical one. And we can totally see him on all fours as McKinnon holds him on a leash like in the couple’s peculiar wedding photo.
