Louis Theroux fronting new documentary on 'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic

Louis Theroux is set to revisit the subject of "Tiger King" Joe Exotic for a new film.

The hit Netflix series Tiger King: Murder, Madness, And Mayhem brought Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, to international attention last year, but Theroux had already interviewed him back in 2011 for his America's Most Dangerous Pets series.

The interviewer will now be returning to Oklahoma for a new BBC Two feature film with the working title of Louis Theroux: The Cult of Joe Exotic, in the wake of new interest.

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Exotic is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence on charges that he participated in a murder-for-hire plot and violated federal wildlife laws.

The BBC said: "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."

Meanwhile, Theroux added: "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. 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.”

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The Netflix series sparked massive intrigue in Exotic's exploits and imprisonment as well as the other colourful characters featured in the documentary, including Carole Baskin, the animal rights campaigner he was convicted of attempting to have murdered.

She featured on the 29th season of Dancing With The Stars in the US in the wake of the show's popularity, and was the second contestant to be eliminated.

With additional reporting by PA.

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