Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island
Directed by	Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Produced by	Thomas Tull Jon Jashni Mary Parent
Screenplay by	Max Borenstein John Gatins Dan Gilroy Derek Connolly
Based on	King Kong by Merian C. Cooper Edgar Wallace
Starring	Tom Hiddleston Brie Larson Jason Mitchell Corey Hawkins Toby Kebbell John C. Reilly Tom Wilkinson Thomas Mann Terry Notary John Goodman Samuel L. Jackson
Cinematography	Larry Fong
Edited by	Bob Murawski Richard Pearson Christian Wagner
Production company	Legendary Pictures
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	March 10, 2017 (2017-03-10)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$190 million

Kong: Skull Island is an upcoming American monster film directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. The film is a reboot of the King Kong franchise and will serve as the second installment in Legendary's Godzilla-Kong cinematic universe. It features an ensemble cast, starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins, Toby Kebbell, John Ortiz, John C. Reilly, Tom Wilkinson, Thomas Mann, Terry Notary, John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson. Principal photography began on October 19, 2015 in Hawaii. Kong: Skull Island is scheduled to be released on March 10, 2017.

Cast

• Tom Hiddleston as Captain James Conrad
• Brie Larson as Weaver
• Jason Mitchell as Glenn Mill
• Corey Hawkins
• Toby Kebbell as Chapman
• John C. Reilly
• Tom Wilkinson
• Thomas Mann
• Terry Notary as Kong (mo-cap performance)
• John Goodman as Randa
• Samuel L. Jackson
• Shea Whigham
• John Ortiz
• Shawn Kavanaugh as Josh
• Marc Evan Jackson as Woodward
• Jing Tian
• Eugene Cordero
• Will Brittain

Production

Universal Pictures/Legendary Pictures' co-production prequel of King Kong was to be released on November 4, 2016. It is unknown at this time if it will be a prequel to the 1933 film, the 1976 film, or the 2005 film. Legendary offered Joe Cornish to direct the film. The studio announced that Tom Hiddleston will star as the lead and it will be directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Max Borenstein wrote first draft while John Gatins was tapped to write the second draft. On December 12, the studio re-titled the film from Skull Island to Kong: Skull Island. On December 15, 2014, it was announced that J. K. Simmons had been cast in the film. In mid-January 2015, during an interview with MTV, Simmons revealed that the film would be set in Detroit in 1971, and that they would shoot it in Detroit during baseball season. On July 1, 2015, Michael Keaton and Simmons exited the film due to their scheduling conflicts. Legendary did not want to delay more in start of production so the studio began the search of two actors to replace. On July 23, 2015, Brie Larson was cast in the film to play the female lead, while it was reported that the studio was eyeing to sign Russell Crowe to play one of the roles which recent actors exited. On August 5, 2015, it was announced that Corey Hawkins was cast in the film to play a supporting role. Max Borenstein and Dan Gilroy also wrote the script along with Gatins. On August 6, 2015, Deadline.com reported that the studio was in early talks with Samuel L. Jackson to replace him for the role which Simmons vacated, while John C. Reilly was also being eyed but not offered yet and Tom Wilkinson was offered for a lead role in the film. On August 18, 2015, it was confirmed that Derek Connolly was doing some final work on the script of the film; Mary Parent also was set as producer. On August 20, 2015, Toby Kebbell joined the cast of the film, while Jackson and Reilly were still in talks with the studio. On August 25, 2015 Jason Mitchell joined the cast to play a pilot in the film. on November 2, 2015, it was announced Will Brittain had joined the cast of the film, portraying the role of a pilot, and grabbing one of the last key leads in the film. On September 10, 2015, it was announced that Legendary had moved Kong: Skull Island from Universal to Warner Bros. and they were planning a King Kong and Godzilla mashup. Later, it was announced that the film's script had references to the secret government entity in 2014's film Godzilla, named Monarch. On September 25, 2015, John Goodman was cast in the film to play Randa, a government official and leader of an expedition and Thomas Mann was also cast. On October 1, 2015, John Ortiz and Shea Whigham were added to the cast for unspecified roles. On October 13, 2015, Eugene Cordero joined the film for an unspecified role. Hiddleston revealed that the film would not be set in the 1930s and it would be a fresh turn to King Kong myth.

In April 2016, artist Joe DeVito sued producers of the film for using Skull Island universe, which he claimed that he created and producers used it without his permission. In May 2016, Toby Kebbell revealed that Terry Notary would portray Kong through motion capture and that Kebbell provided some guidance for Kong's motion capture sequences.

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on October 19, 2015 and concluded on March 18, 2016. Filming took place in the northern portion of Vietnam, the island of Oahu in Hawaii, and Australia's Gold Coast. Locations included Honolulu's Chinatown and at the Kualoa Ranch and Waikane Valley (Ohulehule Forest Conservancy) on Oahu. In mid-January 2016, filming started in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Release

On December 12, 2014, the release date moved from November 4, 2016 to March 10, 2017. It is planned to be released in 3D and IMAX 3D.

Sequels

In September 2015, Legendary had moved development of the film Kong: Skull Island from Universal to Warner Bros., which sparked media speculation that Godzilla and King Kong will appear in a film together. In October 2015, Legendary announced plans to unite Godzilla and King Kong in a film titled Godzilla vs. Kong, set for a 2020 release date. Legendary plans to create a shared cinematic franchise "centered around Monarch" and that "brings together Godzilla and Legendary’s King Kong in an ecosystem of other giant super-species, both classic and new". While Legendary will maintain its home at Universal Pictures, it will continue to collaborate with Warner Bros. for the franchise.

External links

• Kong: Skull Island at IMDb