Tiger King: Casting actors who should star in the movie

Netflix’s Tiger King has taken over the world, and many celebrities want to be in the eventual movie. Which actors could star as Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin?

In the words of Carole Baskin, “Hey, all you cool cats and kittens.” That phrase should ring a bell if you’ve seen the series that is sweeping the nation, Tiger King. Billed as Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, the Netflix series focuses on the fierce conflict between an animal rights activist, Carole Baskin, and an eccentric animal collector, Joe Exotic.

What’s clear from the beginning is the intense rivalry between big cat conservationists and big cat collectors. To say Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic do not like each other would be an understatement. Baskin claims Exotic mistreats and abuses animals at his zoo while Exotic calls Baskin every insult under there the sun and even excuses Baskin of murdering her second husband.

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Spotlighting the rivalry between Baskin and Exotic would have been enough to carry the series, but the strange list of characters grew with each passing episode. There’s Doc Antle, an animal trainer and zoo founder in South Carolina who practices polygamy.

There’s Jeff Lowe, a swinging, snake oil salesman that can’t stay out of trouble. It’s hard to believe that the sanest person in the show might be a zoo worker who lost an arm from a tiger bite.

The hype is real as Tiger King has been in the number one spot on Netflix in the U.S. for weeks. Many fans are wondering if a movie will be made based on these characters. Every day, actors are throwing their names in the ring to play Exotic or Baskin.

Check out these dream casting choices for a potential Tiger King movie.

Woody Harrelson as Joe Exotic

If you’re an actor or comedian in Hollywood, then you’ve most likely thrown your name in the ring to play Joe Exotic. Dax Shepard, David Spade, Thomas Lennon, Matthew McConaughey, and Edward Norton have all been linked to play Exotic.

Joe Exotic is one of the most charismatic, egotistical, and out-of-this-world characters to ever grace a television screen. Because of this, the actor must be able to match Exotic’s enigmatic presence every step of the way. I can’t think of a better actor to play Joe Exotic than Woody Harrelson.

The 58-year-old actor has played larger-than-characters in The People vs. Larry Flynt, Zombieland, War for the Planet of the Apes, and No Country for Old Men. Harrelson’s free-spirited attitude and witty persona would make Joe Exotic come to life on the big screen.

Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin

This is the only part on the list where a casting decision for Carole Baskin has been made in another project. Before Tiger King premiered on Netflix, a limited series was in development based on the podcast, Joe Exotic. Kate McKinnon signed on to play Carole Baskin and will also serve as an executive producer for the series.

McKinnon is known for her hilarious impressions of Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Justin Bieber, and Ellen Degeneres. Channeling the owner of Big Cat Rescue should be no problem for McKinnon.

Jim Carrey as Doc Antle

To play Doc Antle, an actor must be strange, cocky, funny, and willing to play with animals. If you swap out Doc Antle for Ace Ventura, the descriptive traits remain the same, which is why Jim Carrey is the perfect choice to play Doc. Although Ace Ventura is more likable than Doc, Carrey’s ability to amplify any story he tells would translate well to playing Doc, who clearly loved being on camera.

Edward Norton as Jeff Lowe

Jeff Lowe acts like your best friend, but when push comes to shove, he looks out for one person and one person only, himself. If Jeff Lowe were a character from a movie, he would be Worm from Rounders. Worm snakes his way into illegal situations in order to make money and he’s always on the run from the law. The actor who played Worm was Edward Norton. All Norton has to do is act like Worm with an obnoxious hat on his head and he’s Jeff Lowe.

J.K. Simmons as Rick Kirkham

If there was a good and evil chart for the show, Rick Kirkham would be one of the few to be on the good side. Kirkham was tasked with filming and producing Joe Exotic’s reality television show, which ended up becoming a burden that ended with Kirkham suffering a mental breakdown. J.K. Simmons perfectly fits the mold as a good, likable guy. Although known for playing mean-spirited, unlikable characters in the Spider-Man trilogy and Whiplash, Simmons has this calming, hard-working demeanor to his personality that would contrast nicely with Joe Exotic.

Who would you cast in the Tiger King movie? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Tiger King is available to stream on Netflix.