Nicolas Cage to play Tiger King star Joe Exotic in TV series

This will mark Nicolas' first television role.

Actor Nicolas Cage is reportedly set to star in a scripted series as Joe Exotic - the self-proclaimed Tiger King, according to a report by Variety. The difference is that this will be an 8-episode scripted show, and not a documentary. Late previous year, it was announced that Kate McKinnon will star as Carol Baskin (Joe Exotic's nemesis) is a series based on a Wondery podcast.

The Oscar victor will take the lead role in a project from American Vandal showrunner Dan Lagana along with Paul Young. Wondery's six-part podcast series about Joe Exotic was very enlightening in terms of further highlighting how bad of a guy he has been.

Cage's Joe Exotic series will follow the eccentric zoo owner (and political candidate) as he fights to keep his park amid a hostile takeover, a storyline that will be familiar to Tiger King viewers.

It will delve into how Joe Schreibvogel became Joe Exotic, and how he lost himself while trying to save his zoo. Kate McKinnon is set to play Carole Baskin in the upcoming series.

Known for his distinctive acting style, his other roles include The Rock, Face/Off, Con Air and National Treasure. Reacting to the news, fans flooded Twitter and expressed their excitement over the Ghost Rider actor being cast as Joe Exotic.

This miniseries is the second project based on "Tiger King" to be announced in recent months.

For his part, Exotic, who is now serving 22 years in prison for his murder-for-hire-plot against Baskin, wanted Brad Pitt or "Joe Dirt" (aka David Spade) to play him.

Tiger King has been insanely popular, with Variety reporting more than 34 million people watched the show within the first 10 days of its release.