In a worldwide news conference today from Stone Street Studios in Miramar, Wellington New Zealand Universal Pictures, Oscar winner Peter Jackson and the cast of the 2005 remake King Kong got together to announce the September 2004 start date for principal photography. Jackson has assumed directing, producing and co-screenwriting duties and is surrounding himself with a list of superlative filmmaking and acting talents including Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Jack Black and Andy Serkis.
Naomi Watts portrays Ann Darrow, an actress from the world of vaudeville who finds herself out of a job in Depression-era New York. Her luck changes when she meets Carl Denham, played by Jack Black — an entrepreneur, raconteur, adventurer and filmmaker who is struggling to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. Bold, ebullient and charismatic, Denham has a natural sense of showmanship and an appetite for greatness, which ultimately leads to catastrophe.
Adrien Brody steps into the role of Jack Driscoll, a New York playwright, who becomes an unlikely hero in a romantic adventure story which will test his physical courage and his heart.
Peter Jackson commented, “I’m thrilled to be working with Naomi — not many actresses could step into Fay Wray‘s shoes and I have no doubt she will be equally as stunning in the role of Ann Darrow.” Watts will be starring opposite Brody in a feisty love story which has been updated from that of the original film. “Adrien is one of the most gifted actors working today — he is smart and charming and incredibly versatile and I think he’s going to be fantastic in this role, which is unlike any he has played before.”
Jackson has been wanting to work with Jack Black ever since he saw him in High Fidelity. “Jack adds a wonderful dimension to the role of Carl Denham. He’s playing a maverick visionary who is undone by the monstrousness of his own ambition.”
Andy Serkis (who served as the live-action basis behind the CGI Rings character of Gollum) will provide on-set reference for the title character of King Kong as well as playing Lumpy the cook, in service aboard the tramp steamer Venture, bound for Skull Island, under the command of Captain Englehorn, played by Thomas Kretschmann. Colin Hanks portrays a production assistant to filmmaker Carl Denham and Kyle Chandler takes on the role of a 1930’s movie star cast opposite Ann Darrow.
Jackson adds, “I’m really looking forward to seeing what Andy Serkis does with the character of Lumpy, the cook. This will be the first time we will actually get to shoot extended drama sequences together, in the full knowledge that Andy will not be ‘painted out’ after the fact — as he was with Gollum. But Andy hasn’t escaped that fate entirely. He will also provide valuable on-set reference for the character of Kong and he has spent weeks in the London Zoo and in the highlands of Rwanda researching various aspects of gorilla behavior. It is not our intention to soften Kong in an attempt to humanize him. The power of the story lies in the fact that this is a savage beast from a hostile environment and we will not compromise that.”
Jackson also expressed admiration for his supporting actors, “The fun part of my job is getting to work with talented actors like Colin, Thomas, Kyle and Andy because they bring so much more to a role than what is written on the page. Colin Hanks is the perfect guy to play Denham’s assistant, Preston. He is so good — you forget that you’re watching an actor — which can be a little disconcerting.”
Kyle Chandler is playing the role of Bruce Baxter — a nineteen-thirties ‘movie star’ who appears in the film Denham is shooting. “It’s a film within a film; Kyle brings enormous charm and style to this role, managing to capture the quality of some of the great legends of the era, such as Cary Grant and Clark Gable.”
Visual effects will be again accomplished by New Zealand-based companies Weta Digital and Weta Workshop, recipients of multiple Academy Awards for their collective work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Visual effects and miniatures will supplement practical locations in creating primordial jungles and ’30s-period America.
Jackson noted, “I very much want to respect the iconography of the original film, because I don’t believe we should try to change what worked. Our version of King Kong will reflect the same sort of dramatic sensibility we employed on The Lord of the Rings — placing real characters, with real dilemmas, in the context of a truly fantastical world. I’m determined to give the film a gritty reality and to play the dramatic elements of the story for all they’re worth. Our movie is set in 1933, and this is important because it means we can invest the story with the mystery and romance of a bygone era. The Thirties was a time of discovery, when we did not know the full parameters of the world and literally, anything was possible.”
King Kong is currently set for a December 14, 2005 release date for more on the film and cast click here, and be sure to throw in your thoughts on the film in our newly designed forums by clicking the button below.
