The Lord of KING KONG

RINGS director to remake classic 1933 film

By Patrick Sauriol     March 31, 2003
Source: Universal Pictures press release

Director Peter Jackson has finally gotten his precious.

After earning critical and commercial acclaim for two LORD OF THE RINGS films, Universal Pictures has agreed to allow Jackson to remake the classic 1933 RKO Radio Pictures KING KONG. Jackson wrote the script for his version of KONG about five years ago (together with RINGS writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens) but at the time Universal passed on the notion of greenlighting the film. See how things change when your previous two films make a billion dollars at the box office?

"No film has captivated my imagination more than KING KONG," Jackson said in a press release yesterday. "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.

"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."

Universal wants to release the film sometime around the holiday 2005 period. As with his RINGS films, Jackson's company, Wingnut Films, will produce the new KONG movie and the WETA special effects company will create the movie's FX. Jackson wrote his version of KONG just as the original film was set in the 1930s, and the movie will be set in that same period.

"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," said Stacey Snider, Chairman, Universal Pictures. "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."


Got a scoop? Know something that you need to tell us about? Send it to us!