Nicolas Cage had been on board to star in a "Tiger King" series.
CNN  — 

Nicolas Cage is now saying he’s out of a planned “Tiger King” series.

Cage told Variety exclusively that “we should clear the record” on plans for him to play the role of Joe Exotic.

“I read two excellent scripts, which I did think were excellent, but I think Amazon ultimately felt that it was material that had become past tense because it took so long for it come together,” he said. “They felt at one point that it was lightning in a bottle, but that point has since faded into the distance and it’s no longer relevant.”

“Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” was a Netflix true crime docuseries that became a phenomenon when it was released last year.

The participants were a colorful group of characters and Hollywood soon came calling with the planned Amazon series and new streamer Peacock announcing a “Tiger King” project starring Kate McKinnon.

CNN has reached out to Amazon for comment.