Let’s Cast The Inevitable ‘Tiger King’ Movie

There are quite a few actors who have already expressed interest in playing Joe Exotic on the small (or big) screen, including Dax Shepard, Edward Norton, and Dane Cook. However, Leto has proven he can transform himself into the self-proclaimed "gun-toting gay polygamist redneck. Plus, he already owns some outlandish, Joe-esque outfits, so all he really needs is a blonde mullet and an eyebrow piercing.

Yes, McKinnon is already set to play Baskin in an upcoming limited series, but if casting directors are looking for another option for a different Tiger King project, comedic powerhouse Coolidge makes perfect sense. The role requires someone blonde and slightly kooky, who looks great in animal print — all of which basically screams Coolidge.

Since Tiger King viewers began suggesting actors to star in a potential adaptation, there has been a swelling of support for Merchant to play Howard Baskin, Carole's third husband and co-owner of the Big Cat Rescue. While he doesn't play a large role in the series, Howard made a big impression on fans with his awkward, doting personality and habit of serenading his wife in their garden. In other words, it's a role Merchant was born to play.

Maldonado-Passage's late husband, Travis Maldonado, was just 19 when he met the zookeeper, and his short life was, according to the docuseries, tragically marked by substance abuse and depression. Davidson's Saturday Night Live character Chad proves he can play the more boyish, innocent side of Travis, but he's also been open about his own struggles with mental illness and substance abuse, which he'll likely be able to bring to the screen in a moving way.

While it might be hard to imagine Hardy as anything other than a dapper heartthrob, the actor loves to transform for his roles, and Maldonado-Passage's gruff, tattooed husband is the perfect role for him to showcase a different side of himself. Besides, it's it extremely easy to picture Hardy with a whole lot of scruff shooting a pink camo-covered gun?

Bhagavan "Doc" Antle is the owner of the Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina who appears throughout the documentary to provide context on the exotic animal community. However, the second episode of the show features a look at Antle's facility and the alleged "cult-like" behaviors used to recruit young women to work with the cats. Reilly is an Oscar-nominated actor who has the ability to play slapstick comedy as well as intense drama, so he would be a perfect choice to showcase all sides of Doc Antle onscreen.

Yes, McGraw is best known for his decades-long country music career, but he's also an actor — and a dead ringer for Jeff Lowe, the businessman who bought Joe Exotic's zoo in order to help him out of some financial trouble. However, in the second half of the series, Lowe ends up playing a key role in building a legal case against Maldonado-Passage, and frankly, it'd be exciting to see McGraw play such complicated role.

Lowe's wife, Lauren, doesn't play a major role in Tiger King, but she is right by her husband's side during almost all of his appearances onscreen, and is apparently involved with his business dealings, including the new zoo they're building in Oklahoma. McNamara is perfect for the role of Lauren, the spunky red head who stands by her man and loves exotic cats.

James Garretson is a business owner who invested in Maldonado-Passage's facility — and also became an FBI informant and helped the government build their murder-for-hire case against the outrageous zookeeper. Garretson's a controversial figure in the documentary, and it might be the perfect role to help catapult I, Tonya and Richard Jewell star into mainstream stardom, where he belongs.

Despite all of the various (and absurd) detours that the documentary takes, Tiger King is about Maldonado-Passage's murder-for-hire arrest and conviction. The zookeeper allegedly paid Allen Glover, an associate of Jeff Lowe who worked at the zoo and had a criminal past, to kill Baskin, although whether or not a proper hit was ordered is still up for debate. However, casting couldn't be clearer: Keaton, who will bring both menace and pathos to the role in brilliant fashion.

Tim Stark is another zookeeper who, very memorably, was interviewed with a pet monkey on his lap and spent some time working with Lowe on the revamped zoo. He eventually dissolved their partnership and left Lowe — and hit the road with his beloved monkey — but he made a major impression during his short time onscreen. Guardians of the Galaxy star Rooker is the only logical choice for such a wild, character-driven role.

While it's still unclear when McKinnon's Joe Exotic series will premiere on the small screen — or if Hollywood will make another series or movie based on his story — the response to Tiger King proves that it's full of incredible roles for actors looking for a challenge. And we would like to see it.