When was Netflix's Tiger King filmed?

6 May 2020, 16:54 | Updated: 6 May 2020, 16:56

Tiger King- Murder, Mayhem and Madness | Official Trailer

When was Netflix's Tiger King filmed and how long did it take? Here's what you need to know...

As most of us get used to entertaining ourselves at home, the latest Netflix sensation to take our computer screens by storm is Tiger King.

This true crime docuseries landed on Netflix on March 20 and tells the story of Joe Exotic who runs a huge roadside zoo in Oklahoma housing tigers, lions and other animals.

It follows his rivalry with local animal rights activist, Carole Baskin as she tries to get his business shut down.

And viewers should also be prepared for drugs, murder and country music videos…

Netflix series Tiger King. Picture: Netflix

But as we settle down to binge watch the series, when was Tiger King filmed and how long did it take? Find out everything…

When was Netflix's Tiger King filmed?

While news around the events in Netflix's Tiger King continue to unfold, it actually began filming in 2014 and took about five years, wrapping up in early 2020 according to Netflix.

This footage has been edited into seven 45 minute episodes.

Directors Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin said: “We had a story that was unfolding every day, practically. If somebody was in the field, all the footage was coming in from shooting 18 hours a day,”

The pair initially set out to investigate an infamous Florida-based snake dealer and wild animal smuggler.

But - as seen in episode one - the pair came across a man with a caged snow leopard in the back of his van and decided to shift focus to those breeding wild cats for profit.

“That set me on this journey to really understand what is going on with people keeping big cats in this country," Eric explained.

Netflix's latest true crime series Tiger King. Picture: Netflix

The filmmakers were then introduced to the series' main character, Joe "Exotic" Maldonado-Passage, who owned Greater Wynnewood Zoo, and his nemesis Carole Baskin.

Joe would eventually be sentenced to 22 years in prison in January this year for allegedly hiring men to kill her.

According to The Guardian, Eric and Rebecca witnessed Joe's arrest in September 2018 and proceeded documenting its aftermath.

Eric told IndieWire: “I probably spent about 40 percent of 2019 on a plane and filming.”

While Rebecca said: “There were a few times where we missed an event, but for the most part, we were capturing it as it was happening.”

The pair also continued to shoot footage after they finished editing the final series for Netflix, with Eric adding: “We do have footage that we shot since we locked, and maybe it’d be interesting to put that out there in some way.

“I just think my intellectual curiosity has kind of ended.”