The story of Joe Exotic - the self-proclaimed 'Tiger King' has so many twists and turns, it's no surprise that the former zoo operator and convicted felon has taken over pop culture in the last 12 months.
If you're itching to find out more about Joe Exotic, you're in luck. Louis Theroux has officially announced his next project and for the first time since 2019, he is returning to America. Louis Theroux: The Cult of Joe Exotic is a feature length documentary which will reunite Joe and Louis.
The pair first met 10 years ago when Louis was making his documentary America's Most Dangerous Pets. Now, Louis has returned to Oklahoma to explore what has happened in the decade since, with Joe now residing in a federal prison.
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In case you let Tiger King pass you by, Joe was previously found guilty of a murder-for-hire plot and multiple animal cruelty charges. In a rather unusual twist of events, he has become a media phenomenon with a well-funded campaign team who are attempting to win him a presidential pardon, after he failed to snag one of outgoing president Donald Trump in January this year.
Louis will look back at his documentary from 10 years ago and reflect on honours of unseen footage as he sets out to understand who the real Joe Exotic is. As he tries to investigate what has happened in the intervening years, he meets old friends from his original documentary, the team trying to get him out of prison and those closest to Joe who have never spoken before.
Discussing his latest venture, Louis explained: "This is one of those quintessentially American stories, taking place in the heartland of Oklahoma, with a cast of characters almost too colourful and larger-than-life to be believed.
"I spent eight or nine days filming at the park back in 2011, over the course of three separate visits. I'd forgotten how much we shot until I went back into the footage during lockdown. It's extraordinary how much was there.
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"Since then the story just got stranger and bigger, and in going back at the end of last year I uncovered a real-life drama that took me in directions I never could have expected."
One of the most talked about moments of 2020 - other than coronavirus of course - was Netflix's true crime docu-series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. The series focused on the deeply connected society of big cat conversationalists and featured Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue.
The docu-series proved to be so popular that a scripted limited series is currently in development at the American network NBC.
The BBC have not announced a premiere date yet for Louis' latest doc, but check back soon to find out!
Featured Image Credit: BBC/NetflixTopics: Tiger King, TV and Film, BBC, TV News, louis theroux, Documentary