Tiger King is one of the biggest streaming hits of the current pandemic era, with millions of viewers watching and discovering Joe Exotic's bizarre hand in the world of big cat breeding. The series proved popular enough to warrant a sequel season, which was released in November of 2021—but not everyone is enthusiastic about this success. Morgan Creek Productions has especially reacted to the show in a negative way, as they have sued Netflix for the series' use of two clips from Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls "without permission or license."
Morgan Creek is the production company behind a slew of box office hits from the 1980s and 1990s. Known for Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Morgan Creek is also responsible for films such as The Last of the Mohicans, True Romance, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and various sequels to horror landmark The Exorcist. With their latest film production being 2017's Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez on Me, Morgan Creek only has two more films currently in development: an Exorcist co-production with Blumhouse and a remake of the 2011 horror film Dream House.
In their lawsuit, Morgan Creek Productions alleges that Tiger King's voice-over narration mentions Ace Ventura at the time the clips are shown and that Ace Ventura is the only feature film with more than one clip included during the series. Morgan Creek claims that the clips were used "without permission or license," that the clips "enhanced the commercial value of Tiger King," and that the clips implied Ace Ventura and its representatives to be "promoting Tiger King favorably."
Tiger King has been making waves throughout pop culture in addition to receiving a second season. Peacock series Joe Exotic, an upcoming narrative series based on the titular man's exploits has been ordered by NBC with John Cameron Mitchell, Kate McKinnon, and Kyle MacLachlan attached to star as Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and Howard Baskin, respectively. The series is also a common point of reference among pop culture fans and celebrities alike—for Adam McKay's new Netflix satire Don't Look Up, Timothée Chalamet was inspired by Joe Exotic's mullet when imagining his character's hairstyle.
Time will tell if Morgan Creek Productions is able to win its lawsuit against Netflix, or if the dispute will be settled out of court. In any case, the incident is a reminder to documentary filmmakers of all creeds to secure permission or license before using footage from outside sources such as narrative feature films.
Season two of Tiger King is now available on Netflix.
Source: Hollywood Reporter