Dream Casting Nic Cage's Tiger King Series
OF COURSE Cage is playing Joe Exotic. Why would you even ask?
As the world fell to temporary ruin, everyone turned to Netflix and sought comfort in the strangely welcoming arms of Joe Exotic - Tiger King - Carole Baskin and the collected menagerie of the platform's take on the weirdest story in exotic animal husbandry.
And almost as soon as the show ended, talk began of the inevitable movie and TV adaptations and who could play the key characters. And wouldn't you know it, the real world industries caught up with the fan-castings in record time, as we've now got word of a new series (joining several other shows in development) starring Nicolas Cage as Joe Exotic from Imagine Television and CBS.
The show will be based on Leif Reigstad’s Texas Monthly article “Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild,” and will be a scripted drama (presumably with some dark comedy thrown in).
And though the top billed role has been taken, there's still a major cast to fill around Exotic Nicolas. So let's fill it out with the perfect candidates. For the sake of this experiment we're looking for actors who would be perfect for each of the main title roles, and we're not letting ourselves be held back by something meaningless like a budget!
In an alternate universe somewhere, Cage hasn't been cast and the only answer to the question of who should play Exotic is David Spade, whose Joe Dirt character might as well have been based on him in the first place. I mean, just look at it...
Anyway, now on to the rest of the cast of the upcoming series...
18. Joshua Dial - Shia LaBeouf
Joshua Dial was arguably the most relatable character of the Tiger King series, a down to Earth young man who seemed as genuinely shocked as the viewer when each insane event transpired. An honest soul who simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to live out his political dreams, poor Joshua seemed like a broken man from his experiences as Joe Exotic's campaign manager. Considering he watched a man take his life in front of him, it's little wonder!
With his Transformers day long behind him, we feel it's time to give the talented Canadian actor Shia LaBeouf a second crack at the big time, and the role of Joshua seems a perfect fit. When not forced to overact at the behest of Michael Bay, LaBeouf has shown himself more than capable of bringing a character's insecurities to the surface. In some ways Dial and LaBeouf seem like kindred spirits, unable to fully find their way in the world in spite of the seemingly magnificent opportunities handed to them.
James Corden would be another possible choice should LaBeouf not be available, but his ability to subdue his want for a cheap gag would be essential. In fairness to Corden, he has displayed in the likes of Into the Woods and dark comedy Kill Your Friends that he has more than just the ability to do karaoke in a car within his repertoire.