A scripted series based on Joe Exotic of 'Tiger King' fame is in the works.

As previously reported, Nicolas Cage has been cast as Joe Exotic, aka Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, in the show.

It marks the actor's first major TV role.

This is separate to the series starring Kate McKinnon as Exotic's nemesis Carole Baskin, which is also in development.

The Joe Exotic series has now officially found a home at Amazon.

They'll be producing the project with CBS TV Studios and Imagine TV.

Dan Lagana will serve as writer, showrunner, and executive producer.

The show will comprise of eight episodes.

It is based on "Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild", an article by Leif Reigstad published in Texas Monthly.

The series will explore how the larger than life personality and eccentric exotic zookeeper in Oklahoma came to be.

Nicolas Cage is renowned for playing madcap characters in the likes of 'Bad Lieutenant', 'The Wicker Man' and 'Vampire's Kiss'.

With the description per Variety reading that Exotic will be "at the risk of losing his sanity" and "lost himself to a character of his own creation", this is right up the actor's street.

Cage will also be executive producer.

It's early days so there's no release date yet.