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Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Andy Serkis, Thomas Kretschmann
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Produced by: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Jan Blenkin
Screenplay by: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
Release Date: December 14th, 2005
Running Time: 182 minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributors: Universal Pictures
Peter Jackson brings his sweeping cinematic vision to the iconic story of the gigantic ape-monster captured in the wilds and brought to civilization... More
Triple Academy Award winner Peter Jackson, whose The Lord of the Rings trilogy made motion picture history, now brings his sweeping cinematic vision to one of the screen's most enduring classics... More
It is 1933, and vaudeville actress Ann Darrow (Oscar nominee for 21 Grams, Naomi Watts) has found herself-like so many other New Yorkers during the Great Depression-without the means to earn a living. Unwilling to compromise and allow herself to sink into a career in burlesque, she considers her limited options while aimlessly wandering the streets of Manhattan. When her hunger drives her to unsuccessfully try to steal an apple from a fruit vendor's stall, she is rescued-literally-by filmmaker and multiple hyphenate Carl Denham (Jack Black of The School of Rock). More
For a young New Zealand boy named Peter Jackson, the viewing of a 1930s black-and-white film one Friday night was more than just an evening's diversion-it quite literally became a life-changing event. More
 Casting KongJackson's decision to keep the tale in its original time and setting-the Depression Era of 1933-was a simple one, based on two deciding factors. More
This world of 1933 New York is also of significance to the central female character of the story, Ann Darrow. As an actress in vaudeville, Ann earns a living by entertaining, by making people laugh-in songs, skits and with physical humor. Though her onstage persona is a happy one, her life away from the theater is hardly lighthearted. More
If Ann Darrow is best remembered as the beauty of the story, then it is Carl Denham who must be classified as the brains behind the scheme that drives the events of King Kong. Whereas filmmakers chose to flesh out Darrow more than reinvent her, they were committed to finding a different take on the character of the flamboyant showman and auteur. More
Jackson, Walsh and Boyens went even further afield with their take on the character of Jack Driscoll (who in the 1933 version is the rough-and-tumble first mate to the captain of the Venture). More
As the captain of the Venture-which takes the leading lady, the director, the playwright and the crew to the lost world of Skull Island-the filmmakers chose accomplished German actor Thomas Kretschmann, who had also starred with Brody in The Pianist. Captain Englehorn has made a living piloting the rusting vessel around the globe, capturing exotic wildlife and peddling the caged animals to zoos and other not-quite-above-board business enterprises. More
Getting to the particular Kong at the center of Jackson's remake was of paramount concern to filmmakers, and all involved had very strong ideas about how this Kong would be brought to the screen. More
There was never any question what process would lead to the creation of Kong-he was always meant to be a wholly computer-generated creation. Yet after the groundbreaking, combined use of computer generation and motion capture (mo-cap) that led to The Lord of the Rings character Gollum, Jackson and his team began to explore a more advanced method of fashioning the Eighth Wonder of the World... More
Filming Kong
For Jackson and the majority of his New Zealand-based team, shifting into “Kong mode” was a continuation of the intensive work to which they had long been accustomed-the finished King Kong would feature more total effects work than the entire Rings trilogy combined. More
The same philosophy of stylization and evolution-run-amok was applied to the fauna that inhabit Skull Island. Jackson was specific in his vision that included “just kind of cool-looking” dinosaurs… ones that differ from the currently accepted paleontological research of how these creatures probably looked. More
To create the frightening, primitive tribe on the Island, 100 actors were transformed into Skull Islanders by donning Weta-designed costumes (constructed from sea shells, feathers, fish and animal bones and human hair), wigs (a portion of which were hand-knotted), makeup, body paint, prosthetic teeth and weapons. While of the same tribe, different looks were created by varying the weapons... More
The creation of that icon posed special challenges to Weta Digital. As a leading actor in the story, the great ape's believability would be paramount-a tough call for any performer, let alone an entirely digital invention. Key to that was the creation of a Kong that could nail the performance, non-verbally communicating a full range... More
Much as in the creation of Skull Island, it would need a team of accomplished artists to produce the other major setting (and one no less legendary) of King Kong: the New York City of 1933. Taking the advanced computer technology developed for The Lord of the Rings to the next level, digital artists were able to turn back the clock and literally rebuild a city that no longer exists. More
Even with all of the digital wizardry of Skull Island and 1933 New York, practical sets still had to be constructed to provide real-world filming spaces for the actors, filmmakers and crew. More
Peter Jackson's 35-year journey to remake King Kong has neared its end. The boy who dreamed of a fantasy world with glamorous actresses, giant apes and faraway adventure has become the director who created such a reality. Yet after all of his efforts-and the innumerable time and contributions of his filmmakers... More
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