‘Tiger King’ director is back with a new doc about a chimp obsessive [Watch]
For his follow-up to “Tiger King,” documentary filmmaker Eric Goode is returning to the wild world of exotic animal trading and the strange human characters who populate it.
“Chimp Crazy” is a four-part docuseries that will premiere Aug. 18 on HBO and Max. HBO released a trailer on Tuesday. It tells the story of Tonia Haddix, a nurse-turned-exotic animal broker from Missouri, and Tonka, a 32-year-old retired Hollywood chimpanzee who comes under her care. Haddix, an eccentric woman who refers to herself as “the Dolly Parton of chimps,” loves Tonka more than her children, and will do anything to protect him and her other chimps from people who want to take them away from her. When Tonka goes missing, things get really crazy. PETA gets involved, and so does Alan Cumming, who starred with Tonka in the 1997 film “Buddy.” As the truth about Tonka comes to light, so does a whole “Tiger King”-style subculture of great ape owners.
Here’s how HBO describes it: “At turns hilarious and tragic, while unfolding with the pace and suspense of a thriller, ‘Chimp Crazy’ explores the captivating, often unfathomable, and secretive world of raising chimpanzees and also examines the colorful and complicated cast of characters that inhabit it.”
“Chimp Crazy” is executive-produced and directed by Goode, who previously produced and directed all three seasons of Netflix’s “Tiger King” with Rebecca Chaiklin, who is not involved with the new series. Producers include Lissa Rivera, Evan Wise, Tim Moran, Adrienne Gits, Charles Divak, Doug Abel, James Liu, Carissa Ridgeway, and Dwayne Cunningham.
“Chimp Crazy” premieres Sunday, August 18 at 10/9c on HBO and Max. New episodes will premiere on Sundays until September 8.
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