Jude Law & Andrew Garfield Are 'Wild Things' on Apple TV+
Andrew Garfield and Jude Law will co-star in 'Wild Things'
Hulu/Warner Bros. Pictures
It is a truth universally acknowledged (around this website anyway) that casting British actors immediately makes your project more respectable. It's why so many films at Cannes and other International Film Festivals feature casts that are studded with British talent; it's why HBO and Game of Thrones initially drew hard from the BBC's stable of overqualified performers, in hopes that it would counteract the "fantasy dragon" of it all. Now, it's Apple TV+'s turn to comb through the U.K.'s A-list roster, in hopes that two very high-profile "serious actors" will offset the fact that Wild Things is a docudrama tracing the life, careers (and tiger mauling) of Siegfried and Roy.
It's hard to explain the trashy vibe that the duo represented in their heyday without understanding the deeply anti-LGBTQ+ feeling during the 1980s and 90s. German-American Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn were not out exactly, but they were themselves, in that they wore flamboyant, rhinestone and feather-encrusted costumes as part of the magic and animal training act. It was an open secret they were in a long-term relationship at a time when marriage was still restricted, dating back to the late 1950s when they first started as an act in Europe and in the late 1960s when they first performed in Las Vegas.
"Siegfried & Roy" were a popular act whenever they played Vegas. With the end of Mafia control of the strip in the 1980s, the city decided to make the pair a cornerstone of its push to become a family destination. The two took up residency in The Mirage, and their act was the anchor that brought in a new, more upscale middle-class client. By 1999, they were the highest-paid entertainers in Vegas, and probably would have run forever, had the inevitable not finally happened when Roy's tiger turned on him in 2003. They promptly retired, but the lurid fascination with the duo has never disappeared.
Here is the series' synopsis:
The series tells the wild ride relationship tale of two of the greatest showmen-magicians in history who, along with their white tigers, are tasked with turning Sin City into a family-friendly destination. The duo pushes the concept of illusion versus reality to the extreme, personally and professionally, until tragedy reframes and opens a mystery surrounding their last fateful Las Vegas show.
Law stars as the late Siegfried Fischbacher; Garfield co-stars as the late Uwe Ludwig Horn, better known by his stage name, Roy Horn. (Both performers passed within a year of each other in 2020 and 2021.) More casting is expected to be announced closer to the start of production in the later months of 2025.
John Hoffman, best known as the co-creator and showrunner of Hulu's hit Only Murders in the Building, will serve as showrunner, is credited as lead writer for the eight-episode series, and is expected to direct some installments. Marvel stalwart Matt Shakman (WandaVision) will direct the pilot. Both serve as executive producers, as do Law and Garfield alongside Tony Leondis and Kathy Ciric. The limited series is based on the podcast of the same name, produced by Will Malnati and Steven Leckart; they also executive produce for At Will Media, as do Brian Grazer, Kristen Zolner & Natalie Berkus for Imagine Entertainment.
Wild Things is set to go into production this fall, targeting an early 2026 release date.
