Peacock’s ‘Joe Exotic’ Cast and Their Real-Life ‘Tiger King’ Counterparts (Photos)

Peacock’s “Joe Exotic” series had to get a bit exotic in its casting process to fit the real-life troupe of characters chronicled in Netflix’s “Tiger King” docuseries. Fortunately, with “Saturday Night Live” standout Kate McKinnon on board from Day 1 as Carole Baskin, the scripted streaming series was off to a very good start.

Then they landed Dennis Quaid, and, well, just ask your mom what she thinks about that choice to play Rick Kirkham. Better yet, ask Rick Kirkham, Joe “Exotic” Schreibvogel’s reality TV show producer, what he thinks. (Yeah, that one is a pretty generous casting choice. Hollywood, are we right?) However, Quaid had to step away from the role due to a scheduling conflict and was replaced with William Fichtner.

Based on the Wondery podcast “Joe Exotic,” hosted and reported by Robert Moor, the Peacock limited series will center on Carole Baskin, a big cat enthusiast, who learns that fellow exotic animal lover Schreibvogel is breeding and using his big cats for profit. She sets out to shut down his venture, inciting a quickly escalating rivalry. But Carole has a checkered past of her own and when the claws come out, Joe will stop at nothing to expose what he sees as her hypocrisy. The results prove dangerous.

In addition to McKinnon as Baskin and Fichtner as Kirkham, “Joe Exotic” stars John Cameron Mitchell in the title role. Dean Winters will play Jeff Lowe. Brian Van Holt will play John Reinke. Nat Wolff and Sam Keeley will play Joe’s husbands Travis Maldonado and John Finlay, respectively. Lex Mayson will play Saff, Schreibvogel’s employee who lost an arm in a tiger attack.

See each of the stars side by side with their respective real-life counterpart in TheWrap’s photo gallery.

Etan Frankel is writer and executive producer on the series under his overall deal with UCP. McKinnon serves as executive producer along with Wondery’s Hernan Lopez, Marshall Lewy and Aaron Hart. Justin Tipping will direct the first four episodes.

Read original story Peacock’s ‘Joe Exotic’ Cast and Their Real-Life ‘Tiger King’ Counterparts (Photos) At TheWrap