Netflix is working on even more Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness. The series, which has become a runaway smash for the streaming service since it premiered back in March, has already led to additional episodes and even investigative network specials. Now, producers are going to look into the now-infamous 2003 tiger attack at a Siegfried and Roy performance.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, wildlife veterinarian and field biologist Dr. James Liu contacted the outlet looking for Chris Lawrence, a former tiger handler who worked with the famous stage duo in Las Vegas. Lawrence had been gained notoriety after talking about his ongoing battle with PTSD after the attack, which permanently injured Roy Horn. Liu, who also worked on Tiger King, indicated he’s helping work on a follow-up episode that will be considered an official extension of the original series. Horn’s death at the age of 75 was announced on Friday by his longtime partner, Siegfried Fischbacher.
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Goode Films, the company that produced the Netflix series, is apparently also aiming to elevate its content beyond the tabloid-style sensationalism that it was criticized for. That same criticism was also lobbed at Joel McHale’s after-show special, though the company wasn’t involved with that. Eric Goode, who co-directed Tiger King with Rebecca Chaiklin, had previously spoken to Vanity Fair about how he wasn’t exactly happy with the general tone the show ended up having.
“I went into this to explore a different side of the animal world in terms of wild animals in captivity,” Goode said. “After spending years with these subjects the project moved in a different direction. Netflix is very adept at making binge-worthy television and with these larger-than-life subjects that was pretty easy to do. However, my goal is and has always been the same, which is to raise awareness and help save the species.”
Despite the overwhelming success of Tiger King, including two new dramatized spins starring Nicolas Cage and Kate McKinnon, respectively, the sometimes flippant tone of the series had rubbed people the wrong way. This includes Howard Baskin, husband to Big Cat Sanctuary owner and permanent enemy to Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin. In an emotional video posted to YouTube, Baskin called out the directors for misrepresenting the project prior to filming.
“In a way, the series is about con artists,” Baskin said. “In my view, the biggest con artists of them all were Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin. I believe they were devoid of integrity, don’t care about the animals and clearly, clearly do not care about the truth.”
