- Legendary entertainers Siegfried & Roy are the subject of a new series
- Jude Law and Andrew Garfield will take on the title roles
- Duo experienced huge fame and tragedy
Jude Law and Andrew Garfield have been confirmed to play legendary entertainment duo Siegfried & Roy in a new limited series – but who were they?
English actors Law and Garfield are set to be executive producers as well as starring in the limited series, to be called Wild Things, which will air on Apple TV+, according to Deadline.
Wild Things will be written and showrun by John Hoffman, who has had huge success recently as the co-creator and showrunner of Only Murders in the Building. Season 5 of that show is in production, with Renee Zellwegger having recently joined the cast.
According to the official line from an Apple TV+ press release, Wild Things will tell: “the wild ride relationship take of two of the greatest showman-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 tro the extreme, personally and professionally, until tragedy reframes and opens a mystery surrounding their last fateful Las Vegas show.”
Who were Siegfried & Roy?
Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn were German-American entertainers who found international fame through their animal-based magic show, which ran in Las Vegas for many years.
The duo first met in 1959 when they both worked on a cruise ship. Soon after they began to perform together in Europe, but their big break came in 1967, when they were invited to perform in Las Vegas.
By 1990, they were headlining a show at the prestigious The Mirage venue. By the end of that decade, the show had grossed more than $500 million and they were the highest paid entertainers in Las Vegas.
Their shows blended illusions and work with animals, most famously white tigers. While they both promoted animal conservation and the rehabilitation of endangered species, the duo did draw criticism for their use of animals in their shows – not only as they were seen as ‘props’ but also the unnatural environment they were kept in.
Tragedy
Siegfried & Roy performed 5,750 shows in their career, but it came to an abrupt and tragic end in October 2003.
In a show at the Mirage, Roy was attacked by a white tiger named Montecore. Things started going wrong at Montecore’s introduction, when he went towards the audience. Roy brought him back, at which point Montecore bit into his sleeve, and Roy bopped him on the nose, saying “no”, causing the tiger to release his grip.
When Roy withdrew, Montecore jumped him, biting his neck and dragging him offstage. While Roy survived the attack, he suffered life-changing injuries, including partial paralysis on his left side and impairment to his verbal and motor functions. Their long-running show was cancelled.
The duo made one final appearance in 2009 – with Montecore – at a benefit gig. They officially retired in 2010.
Personal lives
For many years, Siegfried & Roy kept their private lives, well, private. However, in August 2007 they publicly came out as gay, and it was known that they were romantically involved with each other, although details remained scarce. The duo kept their sexuality secret for many years, fearing that being openly gay would have a negative effect on their careers.
The pair lived together at Jungle Palace in Las Vegas for many years.
Roy died in 2020 from COVID, followed a year later by Siegfried, who had pancreatic cancer.
No date has been announced for Wild Things to air as yet.
