Nicolas Cage has admitted that he won’t be starring as Joe Exotic in an Amazon production of Tiger King as the company has “shelved” the project.
The star revealed that the company believed it has now been too long since the story of Joe Exotic and his influx of tigers broke on Netflix.
Nicolas, 57, told Variety that Amazon reportedly felt it was “no longer relevant”.
He said: “We should clear the record. I read two excellent scripts, which I did think were excellent, but I think Amazon ultimately felt that it was material that had become past tense because it took so long for it come together.
“They felt at one point that it was lighting in the bottle, but that point has since faded into the distance and it’s no longer relevant.”
(Image: Netflix US/AFP via Getty Images)
The news is sure to be a disappointment to many fans who saw the Con Air star as a great choice to play the man known for his blonde mullet.
The project could still hit the TV screens in the future though as sources told Variety that the Imagine and CBS Studios project may be shopped to other outlets.
Joe, who owned an exotic animal park and became a central role in a plot to have an animal rights activist critic murdered, is currently serving 22 years in prison.
Before Donald Trump was replaced as President, Joe, 58, had pleaded with him for a pardon.
The pleas weren’t met however, and Joe remains in prison – and his estranged husband Joe Passage also announced earlier in the month that he has a new partner.
While the role of Joe is not one Nicolas will now take up, the actor has recently received rave reviews for his performance in Pig, where has stars as a former celebrity chef who is out for revenge in the upcoming movie.
(Image: Getty Images)
He is also set to play himself in a role in Tom Gormican’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which is the story of a cash-strapped actor who agrees to attend a superfan’s birthday for the CIA.
The star originally was unsure about taking the role. “It was absolutely terrifying,” he said.
“And I’m one of those folks that thinks that within reason if it’s something that terrifies you or you are afraid of, as long as it doesn’t hurt you or someone else, that’s the very thing you should reach out towards.”
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