John Cameron Mitchell Will Play Joe Exotic in New NBC Series

"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" writer and star John Cameron Mitchell will tackle the title role in the upcoming NBC drama series "Joe Exotic," based on the life of "Tiger King" subject Joe "Exotic" Schreibvogel.

Kate McKinnon is already on board to play Exotic's rival, big cat preservationist Carole Baskin.

"I'm thrilled to take on the role of this modern folk antihero," Mitchell told Variety. "Joe and I are the same age and like him, I grew up queer in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas so I feel like I know a little bit about this guy and his desperate attempt to conquer an inhospitable world."

There is no word yet on when the series will be filmed or released.

In 1998, Mitchell wrote (along with composer Stephen Trask) and starred in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, an Obie Award-winning off-Broadway rock musical about a genderqueer East German rock musician chasing after an ex-lover who plagiarized her songs.

Three years later, he directed and starred in the feature-film version of the play for which he won Best Director at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. His performance was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

He also appeared in the 2014 Broadway production of "Hedwig" in the title role.

Mitchell's first professional stage role was Huckleberry Finn in a 1985 Organic Theater adaptation at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. His first New York acting role was Huck Finn in the Broadway musical Big River (1985). He originated the role of Dickon on Broadway in The Secret Garden, and appeared in the original cast of the off-Broadway musical Hello Again. He received Drama Desk nominations for both roles, and can be heard on the original cast recordings for each.

He appeared in the original cast of John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation (both off- and on-Broadway), and starred in Larry Kramer's off-Broadway sequel to The Normal Heart, The Destiny of Me, for which he received an Obie Award and a Drama Desk nomination.

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