'Tiger King' fan cast: Who should play whom? Amanda Seyfried, Zac Efron, Jonathan Banks, Jacob Elordi and more
Ever since Netflix premiered 'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness' the entire planet has found some respite from the ongoing pandemic. From conspiracy theories to casting the documentary into an on-screen production, viewers have engaged themselves in pretty much every aspect surrounding the sensational Joe Exotic's outrageous life, and his bizarre rivalry with Carole Baskin.
So this weekend, when Netflix dropped a bonus episode featuring comedian Joel McHale interviewing the real-life people involved in the docuseries, he had to ask them individually, as to who they feel should play them if a movie or a show were to be ever made. While some of them gave pretty solid answers, almost a month after its premiere, 'Tiger King' fans once again engrossed themselves in casting the characters, and boy some of them beyond on point.
Joe Exotic: David Spade
A plethora of tweets suggested pretty much everyone from Brad Pitt to Thomas Lennon, Sam Rockwell, and even Michael Keaton in the role of the controversial big cat owner and zookeeper Joseph Schreibvogel Maldonado Passage, who is currently serving 22 years in prison on charges ranging from murder for hire to animal abuse. With even Rob Lowe and Dax Shepherd expressing interest in playing the role, the clear winner in this category has to be David Spade, with the majority of social media agreeing with the idea, and even series co-creator Rebecca Chaiklin sharing with the Hollywood Reporter that Joe would "would like Brad Pitt or David Spade to play him."
John Finlay: Shia LaBeouf
The strongest contenders in this category have been some of the macho-emblems from the entertainment industry, like Tom Hardy and even Channing Tatum. But Finlay - who Joe married along with Travis Maldonado in a three-way wedding ceremony, has also suggested he would like Shia LaBeouf to play him if a feature adaptation. The man who became known for his constant shirtlessness on the series and raised everyone's concern about his meth-afflicted teeth has not only covered up his "Privately owned by Joe Exotic" lowe-ab tattoo but with a gorgeous smile has also expressed interest in "Either Shia LaBeouf or Channing Tatum," as reported by CNN.
Travis Maldonado: Jacob Elordi
There hasn't been a lot of buzz about Joe Exotic's very young husband who accidentally killed himself while trying to brag about how a magazine-less gun wouldn't harm him. But trust the internet to come up with the most accurate representation for him should a feature film or series be made on the show, and the top contender is none other than 'Euphoria' bad boy Jacob Elordi. Uncanny, isn't it?
Carole Baskin: Amanda Seyfried
With comedian Kate McKinnon having already revealed that she's onboard a spinoff as Joe's arch-nemesis - Baskin, the internet is torn between her and Dakota Fanning essaying the role. That is until someone pointed out the uncanny resemblance between a young Baskin and Amanda Seyfried and ever since there's been no looking back. Just add a few layers of makeup and prosthetics and voila, we have our cat lady extraordinaire.
John Reinke: Matthew McConaughey
The entire internet came together for this and incidentally enough Reinke himself agrees with the opinion. "I'm sticking with Matthew McConaughey," shared Joe's right-hand man from the zoo in his interview with McHale.
Kelci 'Saff' Saffery: Ken Jeong
This wasn't a difficult decision to arrive to for the fandom as it involved the gallant man who had half his arm ripped off. Saff, who identifies as male, was referred to as 'she' throughout the docuseries, something that earned several viewers' harsh and brutal criticism, but didn't offend Saff as much. However, even though Saff himself shared "I still go back to the kid who played Johnny Tsunami [from the Disney film]," in the interview with McHale, he did say "That would be so amazing," to the internet's choice: Ken Jeong.
Rick Kirkham: Billy Bob Thornton
The man behind making Joe Exotic a brand on television, Kirkham, who was accused of burning down Joe's studio and crocodiles has his own personal pick when it comes to who should play him on screen. While the internet has nominated the likes of Michael Shannon and Steve Buscemi, Kirkhan personally thinks "the one person that's been brought up is Billy Bob Thornton. I think he might make a good Rick Kirkham," in his interview with McHale.
Dillon Passage: Zac Efron
From Jake Borelli to Evan Peters and Zac Efron, the options for who should play Joe's fifth and current husband, Passage, has been endless. In an interview with People however, Passage sided with the section of the internet that beleves the 'High School Musical' star Zac Efron should play him on the screen. Passage shared Efron's name pretty spontaneously when asked the question. "Blue eyes, dark hair, good-looking. I mean, what else can I say?" he added, elaborating on why.
Jeff Lowe: Jonathan Banks
A questionable, possibly murderous guy who is believed to have framed Joe in the act of hiring a hitman to kill his arch-nemesis, Baskin? Who could be better than TV's favorite mercenary from the 'Breaking Bad' universe, aka Jonathan Banks himself? Other contenders to play the role also include names like Daniel Craig and Ed Harris.
Doc Bhagavan Antle: Will Ferrell
There has been a lot of discussion surrounding who should play the sleazy mastermind, Doc Antle, from the documentary. While the internet continues to reel under the shock of how Joe was imprisoned but Doc got away without so much as a slap on the wrist after allegedly killing tigers and using employees as sex groupies, social media believes if he were to be played by anyone, it should be Will Ferrell for some reason. John Travolta comes as a close, close second.