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

post #1 of 814
3/30/03 at 7:47pm
Thread Starter 
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030330/lasu002_1.html

Interesting he's doing it as a 1930s period piece. And I'll bet you anything this is the real reason for Warner's delay of the original King Kong.
post #2 of 814
3/30/03 at 8:49pm
Ooooh, to hear it as a period films makes me pretty happy. While I would rather him work on something original of his own, at least he is making some brave choices (and one that he's been after for some time).

I wonder what he has in store for the beauty for this film? Perhaps something to entice Kate Winslet back before his camera?
post #3 of 814
3/30/03 at 8:54pm
I remember very vividly Peter Jackson saying that he had promised Fran that they would do a smaller film next, after LotR, something like Heavenly Creatures. So unless King Kong is smaller than i think it is, i am kinda surprised
post #4 of 814
3/30/03 at 10:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
I remember very vividly Peter Jackson saying that he had promised Fran that they would do a smaller film next,


He did, he said that many times. He also said flat out about a year ago that King Kong was off, so I don't know what happened. Guess the circumstances changed.

I don't know how reliable this is, but I have a friend who has a friend who works at Universal (you know how unreliable friend of a friend stories can be, but it could be true), and he says that Jackson not only wanted to shoot it period but wanted to shoot it in black-and-white, but Universal balked at that. "Why even do a remake then?" they said.

He also said that Jackson had been in negotiations to do "King Kong" several years ago, before LOTR (which is true and well-known), but when "Godzilla" flopped the studio got cold feet.
post #5 of 814
3/30/03 at 10:56pm
Where's Jeff Bridges when you need him? Or Charles Grodin? Actually, I think the only way I'd go see another version of KING KONG would be if done by someone like Jackson. He obviously has the passion. 2005 is going to be an interesting year.
post #6 of 814
3/30/03 at 10:57pm
Um, what would be the point of doing a remake and then setting it in the same time period as the original? Sure, you might be able to one-up Willis O'Brien's special effects, but the original still has that quaint charm that'll be impossible to match. As cool as this project sounds, there are lots of other neat properties out there that Jackson should consider doing instead.
post #7 of 814
3/30/03 at 11:35pm
Jackson can do no wrong. I'm looking forward to this.
post #8 of 814
3/30/03 at 11:43pm
I am pleased Jackson is at the helm of this, and that Michael Bay is at the helm of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Each director gets the movie he deserves.
post #9 of 814
3/31/03 at 12:01am
Quote:
I am pleased Jackson is at the helm of this, and that Michael Bay is at the helm of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Each director gets the movie he deserves.


Michael Bay...BAH!
post #10 of 814
3/31/03 at 12:22am
Since when did Michael Bay get the TCM remake, is it official?

If so, shite.

I'm glad to see Jackson helming King Kong!
post #11 of 814
3/31/03 at 12:27am
Dick, I hope your not implying that THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE is a bad film, because its a classic in my book.

As for Jackson doing a KING KONG remake, I'll be looking forward to it, although I'd like him to make a smaller film like he previously said.
post #12 of 814
3/31/03 at 1:11am
I'm glad Jackson & Co are at the helm of this one, I really liked the Kong concepts that WETA had a few years ago. We all know the project is something he has a passion for and has wanted to make for a long time. I'm sure they will succeed in making a quality flick. But...

I never read the script that was floating around the net a few years ago but apparently it was fairly close to the classic original, and even though I'm a big fan of PJ/Fran's previous work and with the Original King Kong being one of my Top 5 films of all time. I would like to hear their reasoning as to why Kong needs to be remade for the new century?
post #13 of 814
3/31/03 at 3:58am
Yay! Maybe this will get the original out on DVD!
post #14 of 814
3/31/03 at 4:44am
Quote:
Since when did Michael Bay get the TCM remake, is it official?

He's not directing it; only producing. I think it's already in production.

As for King Kong, I'm curious to see how it turns out for Jackson. I read about half of the script that's on the net and I thought it was interesting and had some nice revisions on the original concept, although the romantic subplot was really cliche
post #15 of 814
3/31/03 at 5:06am
Well, this is Peter's "dream movie", and I am quite happy things worked out (or seemed to). I'd like to see him make some smaller films (As Nature Made Him sounded very promising), but this is his BIG ONE. I can't imagine a better fit for him as a director, and this will top my 2005 list if it turns out to be true.

Good to hear the news! As I said a while back, when a truly gifted director gets his dream project going, and he gets the support he needs, rarely can magic NOT flow!

Take care,
Chuck
post #16 of 814
3/31/03 at 5:30am
this is great news indeed. let's hope that Ray Harryhausen & possibly Fay Wray will be involved somehow as well.

post #17 of 814
3/31/03 at 6:24am
Here is a link to the script
King Kong
kd
post #18 of 814
3/31/03 at 7:07am
Quote:
As cool as this project sounds, there are lots of other neat properties out there that Jackson should consider doing instead.



YES!!! Like THE HOBBIT !!!
post #19 of 814
3/31/03 at 7:14am
Here's the full press release from Universal, courtesy of Movie City News :

Universal City, CA, March 30, 2003 - Five-time Academy Award nominee Peter Jackson will direct King Kong for Universal Pictures, it was announced today by Stacey Snider, Chairman, Universal Pictures. Jackson will begin work on the film immediately following the release of The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, the third and final installment of his blockbuster trilogy based upon the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. Jackson will write the screenplay with his partner Fran Walsh and The Lord Of The Rings co-writer Philippa Boyens. Jackson and Walsh will produce the film under their WingNut Films banner. Universal Pictures will release King Kong worldwide in 2005.

Jackson will bring his sweeping cinematic vision to the iconic story of the gigantic ape-monster captured in the wilds and brought to civilization where he meets his tragic fate.

The screenplay by Jackson, Walsh and Boyens is based on the original story by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace, which became the classic 1933 RKO Radio Pictures film, directed by adventurers Cooper and Ernest B. Schoesdack. The RKO King Kong has been designated by the National Film Registry of the United States Library of Congress as one of the 100 Greatest Films and chosen by that organization for permanent preservation as a national treasure.

Jackson will employ the latest motion picture technology to cinematically portray the timeless tale of the beast and his beauty. He will expand on the chapters of the tale that take place in the mysterious and dangerous jungles of Skull Island, and his Kong promises to be a unique and breathtaking creation. As with his Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson will shoot King Kong on location in his native New Zealand. The visual effects will be again accomplished by his New Zealand-based company Weta, Ltd., who have twice been honored with the Visual Effects Oscar for their work on The Lord Of The Rings. They will supplement practical locations in creating primordial jungles and '30s-period America.

"No film has captivated my imagination more than King Kong. I'm making movies today because I saw this film when I was 9 years old. It has been my sustained dream to reinterpret this classic story for a new age," Jackson stated." The story of Kong offers everything that any storyteller could hope for: an archetypal narrative, thrilling action, resonating emotion and memorable characters. It has endured for precisely these reasons and I am honored to be a part of its continuing legacy."

Snider noted, "Peter Jackson is a filmmaker uniquely capable of capturing the core appeal of enduring classics and in expanding the visual language of motion pictures, as inarguably evidenced in his landmark achievement with the Lord of the Rings films. We are thrilled to be working with Peter and Fran, and we are confident that their execution of King Kong will amaze moviegoers. Anyone who has seen the first two installments of The Lord of the Rings knows that Peter will bring Kong to life as a real character. His vision for the tragic tale of the misunderstood creature, with its poignant character development and technological wonder, will make King Kong compulsory viewing for any real movie lover."

Peter Jackson made cinematic history with The Lord of the Rings, becoming the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. Released in 2001, the first film in the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, including Best Director, and won four. The film also received the American Film Institute's prestigious Film Award and was nominated for 12 awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), winning awards for Best Film and garnering Jackson the David Lean Award for direction. In addition to four Golden Globe nominations, the film also received numerous distinctions and awards around the world. The second installment, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. It won two Oscars and two BAFTA Awards. The final installment, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, will be released this December.

Jackson and Walsh previously received widespread acclaim for their 1994 feature Heavenly Creatures, which was awarded a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay. Other film credits include The Frighteners starring Michael J. Fox, the adult puppet feature Meet the Feebles, the mockumentary Forgotten Silver and Braindead.

Universal Pictures is a division of Vivendi UNIVERSAL Entertainment (VUE) (www.universalstudios.com), the U.S.-based film, television and recreation entity of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.
post #20 of 814
3/31/03 at 8:38am
It's amusing to see that Edgar Wallace is still getting story credit 70 years later; according to the Making Of book, he died before he wrote a word of it.
post #21 of 814
3/31/03 at 8:55am
I'm just happy to see Braindead (Dead Alive) mentioned in a press release.

reinterpret this classic story for a new age

We'll see what this means, since most signs point to it being little different then a direct remake.

WETA is up for a good challenge in creating 1930's NYC digitally, a lot of their non-minature location effects in LOTR seem unpolished. Of course it's a rushed schedule which has some detriment, but I wonder if they can pull it of like GONY did (not a GONY fan, but it looked good).
post #22 of 814
3/31/03 at 9:00am
If you think about it though...compared to the three films in the Ring's series...King Kong would be like Romper Room for Jackson at this point. Meaning, doing this would not be anywhere near a three year job like these three have been, it would be easier on him.
post #23 of 814
3/31/03 at 9:10am
It's interesting to see that Jackson is making this a top priority; I seem to remember that five years ago he was basically doing it because if he didn't, Universal would probably hire Ronald Emmerich or some other hack.
post #24 of 814
3/31/03 at 9:17am
I remember reading an article in Premiere a few years ago where they called Jackson's script for King Kong one of the best unproduced screenplays; from the synopsis they provided, it was pretty faithful to the original, with some Jackson-esque touches (ie, more opportunities for gore and some bits of black humor). Glad to hear it's going into production.
post #25 of 814
3/31/03 at 9:58am
Quote:
with some Jackson-esque touches (ie, more opportunities for gore and some bits of black humor).


...more like ie, vomit-eating, brain-eating, and rat-monkey biting.
post #26 of 814
3/31/03 at 10:50am
Quote:
I never read the script that was floating around the net a few years ago but apparently it was fairly close to the classic original
I did read an early Jackson/Walsh draft on the net a few years ago (presumably the same one linked above), and while that script would undoubtedly have been the ultimate monster movie (Jackson's take on Skull Island can best be described as Jurassic Park on anabolic steroids, crack, and PCP), it still had a number of rather cheesy moments and some humor that fell flat.

That said, I'm happy to see that the script is being revised and that they've enlisted Philippa Boyens to assist in that process. I can't say that this is necessarily the project I'd most like to see Jackson take on next, but I'm onboard for anything the man does. And if he does cast Kate Winslet (my favorite actress in the whole wide world), I'll be doubly thrilled.

--Jefferson Morris
post #27 of 814
3/31/03 at 6:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
let's hope that Ray Harryhausen & possibly Fay Wray will be involved somehow as well.


I don't know if that was a joke or not, but I see at the end of the Internet script that it's a nameless old lady in the crowd who says, "Twas beauty killed the beast." Betcha that's gonna be Fay Wray.
post #28 of 814
3/31/03 at 8:20pm
The news out of NZ

Not a lot of surprises, but some confirmations...

100% shot in NZ. (I have to appreciate what he's doing for the place, I think de-Hollywood-centralization of talent & studio $$$ is for the best)
NYC streets will be a backlot, the built city will be CG.
KK & dinos 100% CG.
$200m budget.
post #29 of 814
3/31/03 at 10:19pm
If the article wasn't dated March 30, I would think that this is an April Fools Day joke accidentally let loose early.

Half of me is thinking, "Does this story REALLY need to be made again?". But the other half is thinking, "Wow, a Peter Jackson, KING KONG could be really, really cool."
post #30 of 814
3/31/03 at 10:40pm
WHV stated that the DVD is held back because of quality control issues.

I don't see why they'd make up something just to cash in on a film that hasn't even been shot yet.
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