The filmmakers behind “Tiger King” are at work on more true-life big-cat content for Netflix. What may be coming, and how they’re going about it, sheds new light on the controversial hit.

The docuseries, which debuted on March 20, was the pandemic’s first pop culture phenomenon, a lurid mix of outsized character studies and ranging spectacle set amid the exotic animal scene. It delivered more than 34 million viewers to Netflix, according to Nielsen, in its first 10 days of release, topping the streamer’s “Stranger Things 2.” Competing dramatic projects led by Nicolas Cage and Kate McKinnon have since been announced, while Rob Lowe has teased a third with Ryan Murphy.

Yet despite mostly positive reviews, it has been criticized as sensationalistic and glib in its portrayal of significant, intractable issues surrounding animal abuse.

“Tiger King” was directed by Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin. Goode — who initially rose to prominence by developing on-trend New York City hospitality properties (including the pioneering 1980s club Area, as well as the Bowery Hotel and the Waverly Inn) — is a prominent figure in global wildlife philanthropy, having started the Turtle Conservancy in 2009 to protect threatened turtles and tortoises and their habitats.

Dr. James Liu, a wildlife veterinarian and field biologist who is the associate director of the Turtle Conservancy, contacted The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, requesting contact information for Chris Lawrence, a former tiger handler for Siegfried & Roy’s Las Vegas show.

(SD-Agencies)