‘Tiger King’s’ John Finlay Wants Channing Tatum or Shia Labeouf to Play Him

Joe Exotic’s ex-husband, John Finlay, has his eye on two A-list actors to portray him if Tiger King is ever adapted into a film.

Finlay told People that his sights are set on none other than Channing Tatum. “He’s always had a special place in my heart,” Finlay said about Tatum. “He did a shout-out to my distant cousin; she died of stage-four brain cancer. When he did his shout-out, he did it because it was on her bucket list.”

Finlay’s relative asked for a kiss from the actor, which Tatum granted in a video message to her. Unfortunately, she passed away around six years ago when she was just 18. “He has a special place in my heart because of that,” Finlay said. “But he’s [also] a really good actor, and a lot of people are putting names out there with him in it.”

If Tatum is too busy to star in the film, then Finlay’s second choice is Shia LaBeouf. “He would probably be a good choice because with a beard he can look like me, and he can relate to me,” Finlay said.

Tiger King filmmakers Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin recently revealed that if there were to be a movie or TV show based on Exotic’s life, he’d want to be played by Brad Pitt or David Spade. “[Exotic] doesn’t refer to David Spade as David Spade—he refers to him as ‘Joe Dirt,’” Chaiklin told The Hollywood Reporter.