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It's official -- Peter Jackson's next film: King Kong

#91
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8/14/03 at 9:34am
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well I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I liked the '98 Godzilla movie. Maybe because I am a big Matthew Broderick fan. I do wish Godzilla looked more like the earlier Japanese version, rather than a huge T-Rex with abnormal spinal growths, but still, a good popcorn flick.
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#92
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8/14/03 at 1:03pm
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You know I've heard for years the conjecture that Kong was a sexual & racial allegory but it really hasn't ever been proved
Well, let's see, it's a story about special love between a giant ape and a pretty woman, love that in some manner we see returned when Wray begs Kong not to put her down because he'll die (that was in the first one, right?). The suggestion was clearly that Kong recognized Wray as an individual and had special feelings for her, as in one scene he sees a woman that looks superficially like her, but upon seeing her face and realizing that it isn't her, he throws her away and goes on checking to find the real Wray. Also, in one scene on the island, he partially disrobes her with his fingers. So, since real apes can't recognize individual humans and form such obviously human-style attachments as far as we know, what else would you call it? Have you actually ever seen the movie? I noticed the intense sexual charge from the very first time I ever saw it as a kid. I mean, pulling her clothes off?
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#93
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8/14/03 at 1:23pm
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One question: Why?

I can see it now, another in the long line of computer generated monsters. I can see one remake, but two??? The last remake, of this classic left something to be desired. Kong is gonna end up looking like "The Hulk"......mark my words. Peter, Peter, after LOTR why even venture into something like this? Sigh.
BTW- I liked the '98 Godzilla too.
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#94
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8/14/03 at 1:53pm
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Wray begs Kong not to put her down because he'll die (that was in the first one, right?).
No, that ludicrous scene was courtesy of Dino and the '76 Kong.

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#95
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8/14/03 at 3:42pm
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Have you actually ever seen the movie? I noticed the intense sexual charge from the very first time I ever saw it as a kid. I mean, pulling her clothes off?

Uh, yes I have seen the original..probably more times than you and what I recognized was simple titillation for the males in the 1933 audience well before I read any perceived allegory into a film that I may wish to have deeper meaning...just my opinion mind you.
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#96
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8/14/03 at 5:13pm
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Peter, Peter, after LOTR why even venture into something like this?
I read a pre-LOTR interview where he stated that when Universal first talked to him abuot this, he turned it down. King Kong is his favorite movie, the movie which made him want to become a filmmaker, a perfect work of fantasy which is also a product of its time and defies modernization, or even recreation, since the context of when it was made is so important. It would, he thought, be an act of ridiculous hubris to try and remake it.

Then he slept on it, and realized that Universal would make the movie with or without him. And without him, they might hire Ronald Emmerich or someone without even Emmerich's love for that type of movie, creating a soulless monstrosity that would give a generation of moviegoers a terrible impression of King Kong. So he eventually signed on to make sure that if Kong is remade, it is remade right.

And then, I gather, he got into it and was disappointed when Universal first delayed it to avoid Godzilla, and then back-burnered it when Godzilla underwhelmed. But he found a new dream project.


Of course, I sometimes wondered if he might have been trying something like (I suspect) Mike Meyers did with MGM's remake of The Pink Panther - doing everything in his power to delay the film to the point where it was cancelled, or having it wind up so god-awful that MGM wouldn't even think of touching the franchise for 20 years. He's a big enough Sellers fan that I wouldn't put it past him.
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#97
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8/14/03 at 5:42pm
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LOTR-yawwwwwwnnnnn hated it!!!! snore
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#98
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8/14/03 at 9:23pm
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Sheldon, try to contribute to the conversation. No further one-liners just to vent. JB
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#99
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9/22/03 at 3:12am
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Variety reports that Peter Jackson is seeking Naomi Watts to play the lead female role in the remake, a part made famous by Fay Wray.

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#100
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9/22/03 at 4:23am
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She would probably work out, but for some reason I always picture Kate Winslet in the role.

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#101
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9/22/03 at 12:54pm
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Nick, I had the same thought when I heard the news about Naomi Watts. She was, after all, PJ's first choice for the role back when he was in pre-production in 1996.

I wonder if she would've taken the role had the project been greenlighted back then. She was filming Titanic at the time, so King Kong would've been her next project. I suppose it would've been finished before Titanic hit theaters, but she might've been too exhausted from that experience to undertake another very physical (in more ways than one) role. I guess we'll never know.

I've never seen any of Watts' films, so I don't know if she'd make a good Ann or not. I might have to rent one of her films this weekend.
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#102
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9/22/03 at 5:42pm
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"That's not why people lashed out at Godzilla and PotA......"

My guess would people didnt like them because they were pisspoor movies.

I remember the histoy of Kong the way Jason explained it. The FX,preproduction and creative team was then shifted from Kong to LOTR.Dont know it its true, but thats what I read.

I agree,I see Kate Winslet in this, but if it cant be Kate then I cant think of anyone better than Naomi Watts.

I dont adore LOTR the way some do here at HTF but it may be because I dont have a love for the books themselves.While I enjoyed FOTR I found TTT to be very disappointing.I do think Jackson is very talented (the LOTR trilogy is such a massive project)and if anyone can make this movie work its him.Hopefully he'll be able to do what he wants with it.

The 76 kong has been on cable recently. I watched it after not seeing it since I was a kid and didnt care for it...so Im interested to see what Jackson will do with this.
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#103
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9/22/03 at 7:01pm
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If it's to stay faithful to the spirit of the 1933 classic than Ann Darrow should be a good screamer, somehow I can't see Kate Winslet screaming incessantly for 2 hours. This is one instance where the 1976 remake bettered the original, less screaming!!

Hmmm why doesn't Jackson make Queen Kong instead? Have a female Kong take a fancy to Ben Darrow, played by um Ben Affleck, give Queenie a butt like J-Lo's and we have an instant classic.. of the wrong kind. The film could climax with Queenie losing Ben in Las Vegas, after destroying half the city finds him in a compromising position with a lapdancer [played by Christina Aguilera] furious she flattens the lapdancer with her big toe and gobbles up Ben. The End.
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#104
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9/23/03 at 6:53am
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I can see one remake, but two???


There have already been more than two. Mighty Joe Young was really a Kong remake, and now it's been remade. But lots of stories have got much more screentime than that.

Dracula
Jesus
Wyatt Earp
Alice Liddell
Tarzan

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#105
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9/23/03 at 8:41am
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Mighty Joe Young was really a Kong remake


I disagree with that observation. IMO, Mighty Joe Young was more a Kong-knockoff than a remake. The original was a Willis O'Brien project...O'Brien was the stop-motion animation pioneer who also did the animation on King Kong and Son of Kong. Another tidbit of trivia...Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans) was O'Brien's assistant on Mighty Joe Young.


Quote:
If it's to stay faithful to the spirit of the 1933 classic than Ann Darrow should be a good screamer, somehow I can't see Kate Winslet screaming incessantly for 2 hours. This is one instance where the 1976 remake bettered the original, less screaming!!


Actually, Jackson's 1995 script is a little different than the original. Ann is supposed to be the tough daughter of a famed archaeologist who finds some kind of artifact representing the legend of Kong. So, I don't think that PJ's looking for another Fay Wray...he's probably looking for a stronger, athletic leading lady...which would explain why he offered the part (allegedly) to Naomi Watts.

As for my opinions on Dino DeLaurentiis' 1976 remake, it was a disaster from start to finish. I didn't mind the updating of the story to present day, but the idea of trying to build a robotic gorilla was flawed from the beginning. The thing was so stiff that it could only be used in a couple of scenes in New York. And DeLaurentiis had sunk so much money into that robot that the only thing he could afford to do was to hire a man (makeup guru Rick Baker) to design a gorilla suit for someone to wear. It ended up being Baker himself who wore the costume.

The cast wasn't bad, though. Jeff Bridges and Charles Grodin were fairly well known by then, and Jessica Lange was an up-and-comer (though she rarely speaks about the film). And given the events of 9/11, this film is even more tragic. It's hard to watch it now without thinking about that.

All in all, it had a lot of potential (good cast, decent script), but was ruined in the end by an Italian producer with a huge ego.
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#106
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9/23/03 at 9:28am
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I remember in the publicity for the 1976 Kong, producer Dino DeLaurentis saying something like "When Jaws die, no one cry, but when my Kong die, everyone cry!".
Not knowing of course that some people would be crying for an entirely different reason.
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#107
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9/23/03 at 12:30pm
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I remember in the publicity for the 1976 Kong, producer Dino DeLaurentis saying something like "When Jaws die, no one cry, but when my Kong die, everyone cry!".

It worked on me when I was about 10 and saw it on TV.
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#108
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9/23/03 at 1:11pm
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I also enjoyed Godzilla 98 quite a bit. It was a great summer blockbuster IMO and the only thing that brought it down for me was Mathew Broderick. But anyway....

I could really enjoy a King Kong remake with Peter Jackson at the helm. This is about the right time to do it. In all reality, how many people in the demographic that this movie will most likely be aimed at have honestly watched the original King Kong? Probably not many. It is also a remake that can greatly utilize todays technology and Peter Jackson has already proven that he can use the technology to enhance the story, not just 'be' the story.
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#109
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9/23/03 at 1:36pm
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I don't think it's a forgone conclusion that just because Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings is good that his remake of King Kong will also be good.

I mean, c'mon, King Kong is about a giant gorilla that develops a case of inter-species lust. The nature of the story itself leaves enormous potential for things going wrong and however good he is, Jackson is still only human. Even the best artists make mistakes.

Having said that, I'll give King Kong the benefit of the doubt, particularly in light of how Jackson handled the cave troll in Fellowship of the Ring.
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#110
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9/23/03 at 2:31pm
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Jason, interesting. Godzilla '98, generally trashed. But I liked it, especially because of Matthew Broderick and you liked it in spite of him.
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#111
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9/23/03 at 6:31pm
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"No one would know us there."

-Far From Heaven- (2002)

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#112
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1/1/04 at 5:05pm
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Just deleted that last post because it killed Brian's perfectly nice thread...sorry Brian.

O.K....on to other things.

Just saw ROTK and was kinda sorry to see the spider scene.
I was hoping that Peter Jackson would recreate that bit of horror on Skull Island and give us the fright we lost 70 some years ago.
Think Jackson has more than one giant spider sequence up his sleeve?

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#113
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1/1/04 at 5:56pm
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I don't think it's a forgone conclusion that just because Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings is good that his remake of King Kong will also be good.


i agree.
i ended up loving the LOTR films, but i've read parts of his original script and i think that film would have sucked.
not in the same way people think about the '76 version (which, faults withstanding, i happen to enjoy), but it would have been a bust all the same.

i hope he is radically re-thinking his earlier approach.

i just hope they think long and hard about why they are remaking the film.
-is it just to add color and have better sp fx?
-what do they think they can add to it, besides those qualities, that would make worth seeing over the original?

as despised as the '76 version is (and even i as a 10 yr old at the time derided it for desecrating the memory of the sainted original- yes, even back in the seventies and not even a teenager, i was already a film geek snob)- at least that version attempted its own identity thru irreverence and mild satire.
i enjoy it today because its a great time capsule of it's era (as well as having an indisputably lovely John Barry score and some very fine performances by Bridges and Grodin).

i just wonder what Jackson thinks he can add to the myth that isn't already there.
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#114
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1/1/04 at 7:01pm
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Hey chaps, PJ is working on a totally new script for Kong (with Fran and Philippa Boyens). He "threw the old one out."

In a recent interview, Jackson said the old script was too flip, almost "Indiana Jones-like" in tone. He goes on to say that one thing writing/directing LOTR has taught him is that it's imperative fantasy films have a grounding in reality, that they are "believable". Otherwise, in his opinion, the fantastic elements just take the movie over the top.

I read the Jacksons' original KK script awhile back. I'm sure it would've been extensively revised by the time principal photography rolled. But I take it as a good sign KK is being rewritten. Personally, I'd rather Jackson did something else - I don't feel KK needs a remake - but I'll be very curious to see what he comes up with.

After all, PJ has to keep Weta Workshop busy.
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#115
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1/1/04 at 9:57pm
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After all, PJ has to keep Weta Workshop busy.

I would think with LOTR on their resume, and their many recent award wins, they would have plenty of work even if they weren't supported by on-going PJ films.

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#116
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1/1/04 at 10:50pm
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Add another person that thinks this is a bad idea. Back then this was something new, people enjoyed it. But to bring it to a modern audience? This could suck big time. The idea of a giant gorilla running around is not appealing at all. Hopefully PJ can pull off another miracle. I just think the giant monsters from the unknown is a tired theme and audiences will not buy into it.

Hope I'm proven wrong though.
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#117
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1/1/04 at 10:53pm
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I don't think it's a forgone conclusion that just because Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings is good that his remake of King Kong will also be good.


I agree. I think it's a forgone conclusion that because EVERY single film Peter Jackson has directed has been amazing that his King Kong remake will be good.

In my book he got a 9 for 9 100% track record, something I can't say about any other working director. Can't wait for Kong!
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#118
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1/1/04 at 10:56pm
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I would think with LOTR on their resume, and their many recent award wins, they would have plenty of work even if they weren't supported by on-going PJ films.


Aren't they handling effects for the upcoming Narnia movie(s)? That would be nice.

I think PJ doing Kong now is good for him. It is a movie that he probably couldn't get greenlighted without the kind of clout that he has now. It is a fantasy of his to do this movie and why not? I am glad he isn't disappearing like Cameron did post Titanic success (no, I don't consider his producing credits to count...I want to see him direct). It probably won't stand up to the LOTR scrutiny as everyone is going to expect it to be the next coming. I am sure it will be fun amd folks able to get over the hat trick he just completed will enjoy it. But it won't be LOTR. I hope he also gets back to "smaller" fantasy stories like "Heavenly Creatures." While based on reality, this captured the whimsy of youthful fantasy life better than just about any movie to date (okay in a creepy way, too, but still).

Sad to see he is abandoning the Indiana Jones like qualities. Hopefully not too much. I think we could really use a good Indiana Jones style flick (and for some reason, I don't think #4 of that venerated series will do it). Oh well...if it at least is a groovy period piece with fantasy veneer that will be good enough for me.

Phil
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#119
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1/1/04 at 11:05pm
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I just think the giant monsters from the unknown is a tired theme and audiences will not buy into it.


What is not a tired theme? Romantic comedies where opposites attract? War movies? Cop movies? Buddy movies? Sure the monster movie has been done before but it hasn't been done well in quite some time. I think the original Jurassic Park did monster's justice and that was about it. I think some of the themes of such a movie could still resonate today. I mean it has been a while since I saw the original (does the Simpson's remake count?? ) but it has more to talk about than just a giant ape with a thing for blondes. There is the whole exploitation bit (in a world where tragedy and tension sells and if it isn't there, it is "created" with reality television... the Kong on Broadway bit was eerie and cool and could be even more interesting). There is the whole raping of nature. Nature gone wild. Nature vs. technology. So on and so on. Hardly tired unless done as dizzingly as silly as Godzilla USA. A lot of these themes were done in JP but why not repeat them. He could cover all sorts of topics with it.

I hope he takes the time to do special editions of Heavenly Creatures and Frighteners. I don't mean Extended or anything just better discs with commentary and background material. I hear there is a great making-of bit that was on Frightener's Laser disc that hasn't seen the light of day on DVD. Taking his clout to improve his DVD catalogue would be great.


Phil
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#120
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1/2/04 at 1:47am
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I'm with Matt on Peter's track record.

The reason I'm positive about this is that a movie like King Kong has tons more chance working if a director who is passionate and committed to making it is behind it than if someone is brought in for hire.

He's been able to make unbelievably entertaining movies (and moving as well) out of a wide range of sources. As soon as I saw the trailer of FOTR with Sam dropping down outside of Moria in a non-actorly weep, I knew he probably managed to make something truly special out of a fantasy film. Just like the remarkable sense of despair and self loathing he got Micheal J Fox into in The Frighteners made it into a film I really love to watch. I somehow suspect that the same love and care would go into King Kong and might just set the monster movie we expect right on its ear while also being quite entertaining.
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