The show may be eagerly anticipated by Netflix subscribers but Baskin isn't too happy to see herself returning to the screen.
60-year-old Baskin has filed a lawsuit against Netflix, claiming that her initial contract didn't give the producers the right to use footage of her in any subsequent series of the show.
The lawsuit states that the contract Baskin signed "doesn't give producers a right to continue using the footage in the subsequent projects...including this sequel."
Baskin wants Netflix and the show's producers to remove all footage of her and her Big Cat Rescue non-profit from the sequel series and any promotional material.
The big cat enthusiast claims that the new footage of her seen in the trailer for Tiger King 2 isn't actually new at all but rather unused footage shot for the original series. She's accusing the producers of making it appear as though she has wilfully agreed to provide "new interviews or insight."
Baskin's legal action is likely motivated by her resentment over how the show made her look as though she was behind the disappearance of her ex-husband Don Lewis.
Lewis went missing in 1997. Five years later Baskin had him declared officially "dead." In Tiger King, zookeeper Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka "Joe Exotic") accuses Baskin of murdering her husband before feeding his corpse to her tigers.
The recently released trailer for Tiger King 2 suggests that the show will further explore Lewis's disappearance, with the line "Carole knows something" heard in its voiceover.
Joe Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison in January 2020 after having been found guilty of hiring two men to murder Baskin. He was also found guilty of killing five tigers, trading tiger cubs and falsifying wildlife records.
Upon airing of Tiger King last year, Baskin claimed it had damaged her public image, along with that of her Florida based Big Cat Rescue animal sanctuary. Baskin agreed to appear in the show believing it would highlight the dangers of people like Joe Exotic who wish to exploit endangered animals. Instead she found herself portrayed as the villain.
Tiger King became a worldwide sensation when it was released on Netflix on March 20th, 2020. Its release coincided with the world going on lockdown. With everyone stuck in their homes and desperate for distraction, its larger than life tale and cast of oddball characters gripped the world. Over 34 million people watched it in its first 10 days of release, a figure that had jumped to 64 million after a month on release.
The show's central focus was on Joe Exotic. At the time of filming he was owning and operating the G.W. Zoo in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, also known as the Tiger King Park. It initially examines his long-running feud with Baskin, ultimately taking in the lead up to his conviction for plotting her murder.
Despite the damning evidence the show presented against him, Joe Exotic became a cult figure. At a press conference in April, 2020, US president Donald Trump was asked if he would grant Exotic a presidential pardon for his crimes. Trump responded that he had never heard of the jailed zookeeper.
While the show was a hit, it drew criticism from many quarters. Wildlife and conservation groups denounced it for glamourising the practice of private breeding of big cats. Others criticised the show's sympathetic portrayal of Exotic in spite of his crimes.
Tiger King 2 will be available on Netflix from November 17th.
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