The filmmakers of Netflix’s Tiger King are working on a new episode about Siegfried & Roy, the duo whose extraordinary magic tricks astonished millions until Roy Horn was critically injured in 2003 by one of the act’s famed white tigers.
Tiger King creators Eric Goode and Rebbeca Chaiklin’s new installment of the series, confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, will focus on the 2003 mauling that left Horn partially paralyzed after he was attacked onstage by one of the white tigers during a show.
The news of the new episode comes after Horn died of complications from the coronavirus on Friday in a Las Vegas hospital.
Horn was injured in October 2003 when the tiger named Montecore attacked him on stage at the Mirage hotel-casino in Las Vegas. He had severe neck injuries, lost a lot of blood and later suffered a stroke. He underwent lengthy rehabilitation, but the attack ended the long-running Las Vegas Strip production.
Siegfried & Roy became an institution in Las Vegas, where their magic and artistry consistently attracted sellout crowds. The pair performed six shows a week, 44 weeks per year.
The new installment on Siegfried & Roy’s show will be a “follow-up” episode under the Tiger King series name, according to THR.
Further details on the project have not been released but the outlet reports that it was contacted last Thursday, with a request for contact information for Chris Lawrence, a former tiger handler for Siegfried & Roy’s Las Vegas show.
THR said Lawrence gained national attention when he was profiled for the outlet about “his 15-year battle with PTSD following the infamous attack.”
Siegfried & Roy returned to the stage in February 2009 for what was billed as their one and only comeback performance, to raise funds for the new Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. The brief performance, which included Montecore, became the basis of an episode of the ABC television show 20/20.
Horn and Siegfried Fischbacher, both natives of Germany, first teamed up in 1957 and made their Las Vegas debut a decade later. Siegfried & Roy began performing at the Mirage in 1990.
When they signed a lifetime contract with the Mirage in 2001, it was estimated they had performed 5,000 shows at the casino for 10 million fans since 1990 and had grossed more than $1 billion. That came on top of thousands of shows at other venues in earlier years.
The pair gained international recognition for helping to save rare white tigers and white lions from extinction. Their $10-million compound was home to dozens of rare animals over the years. The white lions and white tigers were the result of a preservation program that began in the 1980s.
Siegfried & Roy’s show, incorporating animal antics and magic tricks, included about 20 white tigers and lions, the number varying depending on the night. The show also had other exotic animals, including an elephant.
—With files from The Associated Press
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