Carole Baskin Sues Netflix Over Tiger King 2
I can't believe today is the day I'm going to agree with Carole Baskin about literally anything, but here we go!
While "Tiger King 2" will (supposedly) be hitting all of our collective Netflix queues on November 17 (just in time for a casual Thanksgiving binge-fest), Baskin is doing everything she can to get her piece of the pie ... Or perhaps stop the release of "Tiger King 2: The Squeakquel" altogether.
Baskin and her current husband, Howard Baskin, who were featured pretty heavily in the buck wild roller coaster ride that was the first "Tiger King" documentary, are officially suing Royal Goode Productions to be removed from the upcoming sequel.
According to a suit filed on November 1, 2021, in Tampa, Florida, Baskin is arguing that there has been a pretty big breach of contract. The lawsuit states that Baskin only signed release documents for footage of her to be used in the first film and that she has not signed any paperwork related to "Tiger King 2: Electric BoogaZoo." Apparently, the Baskins weren't even aware of their role in the sequel until they saw the trailer drop. If that is indeed true, I can't imagine what that day at the Baskin's household was like, but I'm sure pandemonium doesn't even cover it. The lawsuit uses some pretty strong language in regards to the sequel:
"Understanding that the Appearance Releases limited Royal Goode Productions' use of the footage of the Baskins and Big Cat Rescue to the single, initial documentary motion picture, the Baskins believed that any sequel – though odious – would not include any of their footage,"
Live Free or Die Tiger King
Of course, the suit doesn't stop there. It also digs into the "Tiger King" series in general, with Baskin arguing that she was lead to believe the show would be the big cat version of the award-winning documentary "Blackfish," which centered on the captivity of killer whales. Instead, it dove into the drama around Joe Exotic and friends.
It's fascinating to me that Baskin (or any of the other weird private zoo owners) thought she wouldn't be seen as the SeaWorld of the big cat zoo game, but despite that, I'm on her side here. If she's right and her contract has been breached, that's a pretty big deal that needs to be resolved. Also, I would be pretty upset about the release of "2 Tiger 2 King," too, if the first documentary essentially called me a murderer. No matter how unreasonable she seems, that is a fairly understandable reaction.
Whatever happens with "I Still Know What You Did Last Tiger King," it's weird to know that for an hour or so, I really felt some sympathy for Carole Baskin. I quite literally never thought this would happen.