Kate McKinnon to portray Carole Baskin in upcoming series adaptation of 'Joe Exotic' podcast
How involved was Carole Baskin in the disappearance of her husband? When he turned up dead, did Baskin have anything to do with it?
Netflix's hit true-crime docuseries 'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness' might have offered viewers an insight into the high-stakes feud between Baskin and Joe Exotic, but did barely manage to give us any answers about the former.
With the series leaving viewers with more questions about Baskin than when they started watching it, they are now itching for satisfactory answers.
'Saturday Night Live' star Kate McKinnon is on board a series adaptation of the Wondery podcast 'Joe Exotic'. In the podcast, Carole Baskin (who will be played by McKinnon) finds out that fellow exotic animal lover Joe 'Exotic' Schreibvogel is breeding big cats for his personal profit. The big cat enthusiast and animal lover then sets out to shut him down.
This rivalry quickly turns bitter and soon Joe sets out to prove Baskin's hypocrisy not stopping at anything.
McKinnon stars and executive produces the series along with Wondery's Hernan Lope and Marshall Lewy. Additional casting is not announced either.
At the moment, there is no network or streamer attached to McKinnon's in-production project. But it is safe to assume that the breakthrough success of Netflix's 'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness' will no doubt positively impress the upcoming project.
Baskin, in a statement directed at McKinnon, is requesting the creators of the production to not use big cats. "Kate McKinnon is a wonderful actress. Big Cat Rescue implores Kate McKinnon to not use real big cats and cubs in the making of her series".
"It would be cruel to use real big cats in a television series about cruelty to big cats," she continued. "We hope McKinnon has a passion for animals and that her series will focus on the horrible lives captive big cats lead when exploited by breeders like Joe Exotic. We further hope she urges the public to support the Big Cat Public Safety Act that would end the cub petting abuse in America," she said.
The seven-episode Netflix docuseries explores the "stranger-than-fiction world of big cat owners" focusing on Joe Exotic, "a mulleted, gun-toting polygamist and a country-western singer who presides over an Oklahoma roadside zoo", who breeds and kills big cats for fun. To emerge victoriously from his rivalry with Baskin, he paid a hitman $3,000 to murder her in November 2017. He is now serving a 22-year prison sentence.
She had earlier called out the documentary series for being "salacious and sensational" mainly complaining about the show's approach to her husband's disappearance.
'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness' is currently streaming on Netflix.