Nicolas Cage won’t play the iconic Joe Exotic role in Amazon’s Tiger King series after the show is ‘shelved’.
The star revealed that Amazon felt it had been too long since the story of Joe Exotic and his wild story of owning a zoo with lions and tigers came to light on Netflix.
The actor told Variety that they felt it was “no longer relevant”.
The Oscar-winning star said he no longer scheduled to play the role, but sources claim the project could be picked up by other outlets.
“We should clear the record,” Cage said.
“I read two excellent scripts, which I did think were excellent, but I think Amazon ultimately felt that it was material that had become past tense because it took so long for it come together.
(Image: Getty Images)
“They felt at one point that it was lighting in the bottle, but that point has since faded into the distance and it’s no longer relevant.”
Exotic, known for his blonde mullet, owned an animal park and became a central role in a plot to have an animal rights activist critic murdered.
He was sentenced to jail for the plot against Carole Baskin and had pleaded with former US President Donald Trump to pardon his sentence before he left office.
(Image: Handout)
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Cage will soon be taking on the role of himself in Tom Gormican’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the story of a cash-strapped actor who agrees to attend a superfan’s birthday for the CIA.
Initially, the star said he hesitated before agreeing to play himself in the film.
“It was absolutely terrifying and I’m one of those folks that thinks that within reason if it’s something that terrifies you or you are afraid of, as long as it doesn’t hurt you or someone else, that’s the very thing you should reach out towards,” he said.
He has also received rave reviews for his performance in Pig, an upcoming movie where he stars as a former celebrity chef who is out for revenge.
The low-budget film gave him the freedom he said he felt is lacking in major studios.
Tiger King became one of Netflix’s most-watched series after it was released in March 2020.
The Daily Star has approached Amazon for a statement.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
