Ubisoft's giant-ape adventure game is finally in the can, and we plowed through the first two hours of the Xbox 360 version right from the title screen. Translating a big-budget film to video game form is no exact science, and over the years we've seen one developer after another fail to fully capture the essence of a particular movie in the licensed game of the same name. In other words, a lot of movie games suck. So when Ubisoft recently plopped us down in a dark room with the final version of King Kong on the Xbox 360, we understandably went in with a little skepticism as to the effectiveness of the translation from the yet-unreleased film remake. The game's pedigree is strong enough, what with the involvement of famed Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil creator Michel Ancel--but has the team been able to re-create the excitement of a big-screen action movie in playable form? [More]

Some new names will soon be added to our Kong Cast section (we DO have lives you know), some familliar to us LOTR veterans, but many new. Be on the look out for; Lorraine Ashbourne, Jarl Benzon, T.M. Bishop, Bob Burns, Kathy Burns, Sandro Kopp, Todd Rippon, Crawford Thomson, Nicholas Marino & Matt Panzera bios to be online soon!

From digitallyobsessed.com: It's been a long, long wait. Nearly eight years into the DVD format, finally Warner has come through with a DVD of one of the greatest fantasy films of all time: Willis O'Brien's stop-motion animation masterpiece, King Kong. For the most part, the wait has been worth it, since the intervening years have been devoted to locating the best possible source materials and doing an extensive restoration. The film, one of the last AFI Top 100 to make it to the format, is available in several different versions: a two-disc special edition, a collector's tin of that same special edition plus a reproduction of the original program from Grauman's Chinese Theater, and as part of a four-disc set that includes its sequel and its semi-sequel, Mighty Joe Young. [More]

Pre-Order the Kong Collection on Amazon Today!

Mark writes: I just got my weekly newsletter from XM radio and Howard Shore will be featured on this week's "Reel Time Weekly" on CInemagic, their film score channel. I know he's no longer with Kong, but it may get mentioned during interview.

Reel Time Weekly: Howard Shore
Cinemagic - XM 27 - 11AM - 5PM Midnight ET
Chris Panico talks to Academy Award Winning composer Howard Shore about working with long time friend David Cronenberg, the start of his musical career with the band Lighthouse, and the 4 year journey he took in creating the music for Middle Earth.

Gunnafan writes: I recently bought some Sultana Bran and found that it has this Kong Promotional material on it in the form of "Kong Cubes" and also a "Kong Watch" competition. [More]

Ben writes: In case anyone out there is wondering how big this King Kong NYC lotto is, take a look at this ad adorning the bus stops (among other places...) Until I stumble upon anything else King Kong in NYC.. [More]

John comes through with scans from the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, take a look! [More]

Ashley writes: I was looking on the Bravo website and it said that on December 18 at 11 AM, the cast of "King Kong" will be on Inside the Actor's Studio. [More]

UPDATE: Seems Bravo jumped the gun on this one, it has yet to be confirmed, but watch this space for more info!

Today is Ray Woolf's Birthday! Ray was born on November 13th, 1945 in the UK. That makes him 60 years old today, Happy Birthday Ray!

Sure, Peter Jackson directed the fellowship of the Ring and has a shot at three Oscars this year -- for directing, producing, and adapting the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. You could say the guy's arrived. But you probably couldn't say much about the rest of his oeuvre, as the 40-year-old Kiwi's previous work wasn't exactly mainstream. Here, Jackson talks about his oddball early efforts. [More]

Joe Utichi, Editor of FilmFocus.Co.UK writes: I was lucky enough to be invited to a special Kong preview yesterday in London where I had a chat with Andy Serkis and got to see a work-in-progress version of a scene in which Ann tries to escape from Kong and finds herself being chased by T-Rexes, giant lizards and metre-long centipedes. I was just completely blown away. The footage was far from finished but even in its most basic form (and I use that phrase lightly, this is Peter Jackson we’re talking about) my level of excitement for the film proper was raised immeasurably. And I was already excited. [More]

John sends along this scan from the cover of the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, it features Naomi Watts and the Big Guy in full glory...more scans to come! [More]

The latest newsletter is ready to go! Do you want to receive our free weekly newsletter? Packed with tons of info to keep you up to date on the latest? Plus filled with exclusives from time to time! Join the crowd of over 2600 mailing list members! Sign up now! [More]

It is time to come together and talk Kong! The chatroom has been a great success, however some people have been popping in at odd hours when there is no one to chat with. To that end we've devised 2 KONG Chat times, a set time and day of the week for all Kong chatters to meet and have fun! Tonight's chat will be at 5:30PM Eastern Standard Time (click here for more info). World times are below, if you need more help click here.

5:30PM (Saturday) EST in New York, Montreal
2:30PM (Saturday) PST in Los Angeles, Seattle
11:30PM (Saturday) (Central European Time)
7:30AM (Sunday) in Sydney
9:30AM (Sunday) in Auckland, Wellington

Now THESE are posters! From Russia's filmz.ru comes these way cool Kong posters, me wants! Me wants badly! [More]

Here is one PPD I'd never thought we'd see, James Newton Howard on the Kong score! James and his team have been working long and HARD in this short time to create the Kong score. Working out of LA the production has had to make due with recording dates spread out in various studios in Hollywood. James is writing music from 9 to 2..AM! This PD shows some GREAT musical cues and scenes from the film, we get to see some of the instruments being used in the score, and we know what has been recorded so far! Check it out! [QT6 240x132px 7Mb] [QT4 320x176px 13Mb] [QT6 480x264px 17Mb] [Bit Torrents!]

And don't miss our latest addition to the Kong History section, a 360 turnaround of the Kong Model! [Kong History]

Email us your questions and PJ may answer them in a future Post Production Diary!

Like what you see? Discuss it in our Chat Room! [Click Here] Or the Message Boards? [Click Here]

Ubisoft game producer Xavier Poix is hoping for a certain response from gamers when they play the video game based on Peter Jackson’s eagerly awaited film remake of “King Kong.” Well, two responses, actually. Poix certainly wants gamers to scream “Whoa!” when the ape first thunders across the screen. The other one he's looking for, however, is a doozee: “I’m hoping that when they finish the game the players will cry.” [More]

Chris sends along this 'Vs.' Quad that was spotted in a local cinema in Perth Australia recently. Have you seen any Kong related merchandise where you live? Send some pics along!

Ubisoft has unveiled a massive new music site for Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie. Music fans will revel in the sheer volume of Kong content available, including full-length MP3’s of Chance Thomas’ orchestral score, an exclusive new game music video, documentary footage and candid behind-the-scenes anecdotes. [More]

Josh Rottenberg writes: On a movie screen in a small theater outside Wellington, New Zealand, a pissed-off 24-foot silverback gorilla is doing the sort of things pissed-off 24-foot gorillas tend to do. He's knocking over a packed streetcar with his ass. He's flipping an automobile like a tiddlywink. He's hurling people through the air and — bad monkey! — biting off some poor schmuck's head. [More]

The giantic gorilla unleashes a deafening roar from a cavernous mouth framed by ferocious fangs - it's a triumphant signal that the king of the big screen is back. Pounding his chest he attacks a T-Rex, snapping the monster's jaws in his vast hands. From the undergrowth another monster appears and clamps its teeth into Kong's arm. They crash through the jungle, stumbling off a cliff on to a tangle of vines and fight to the death. [More]

Roheryn writes: This snippet from this week's Entertainment Weekly focuses on Kong Kong's ever growing run time and budget ... and its chances for Oscar consideration. [More]

Check your local bookstores for 'Kong Unbound': In 1933, Merian C. Cooper, Ernest Schoedsack, and Willis O'Brien created more than movie magic. King Kong is a pop-cultural icon and a central part of American mythology. These themes and more are explored in this wonderful collection of insightful essays by: Ray Harryhausen, Ray Bradbury, Joe DeVito, Michael Chabon & More! [More]

Bob writes: Hey guys, love your site! Just wanted you to see the lengths a real King Kong fan will go to. This is a costume I built for Halloween in honor of Peter Jackson's new King Kong. We are based in Las Vegas and we are going to see if we can get it into one of the theatres for the premiere, just so people can take pictures with it. [More]
I don't know about you guys, but this thing scares the skittles out of me....let's hope what is made in Vegas stays in Vegas!!

Consumers are invited to play Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie video game on 11 interactive gaming kiosks in a life-like Skull Island environment, for the upcoming release of the video game. The event will feature hands-on game play sampling of Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie before its release, highlighting the Xbox 360 version of the game on a jumbo screen. [More]

King Kong was wrong for the role, but a central place in Melbourne's daily drama is still up for grabs. It's a long way from being the Empire State Building, but the Anglican Church was negotiating with advertising agency Amity Media to place a massive billboard on scaffolding surrounding the spire of the heritage-listed St Paul's Cathedral. The ad would have meant the latest remake of the 1930s primate horror classic King Kong, which opens in Melbourne next month, being promoted on one of Melbourne's most prominent street corners — facing Federation Square and Flinders Street Station. [More]

From davekehr.com (via James thanks to kiko33): The most intriguing extra in the massive “King Kong”box set that Warners will be releasing on November 21 is a six-minute labor of love supervised by Peter Jackson, who – as all the world and portions of Pluto know by now, is the director of the “Kong” remake coming out on December 14. The short sequence, in what appears to be the pearly black-and-white of the early ‘30s, represents Jackson’s attempt to re-create the legendary “spider pit” scene that was cut from “Kong” by director Merian C. Cooper after early test screenings. [More]

This Toshiba Gigabeat (think non-Apple ipod) with a King Kong Theme was spotted on an asian press release site. Take a look! [More]

A week from the release of King Kong, the most eagerly awaited video game of the year, it seems Peter Jackson is on the verge of doing something that this year has eluded game developers - coming up with a decent film-to-game adaptation. King Kong, which will be released in stores next Friday on PlayStation 2 and Xbox, has already gone gold in the United States through pre-sales. With a release also planned for Microsoft's next-generation console the Xbox 360, the game's momentum is likely to carry over into the first three months of next year, during which Microsoft expects to sell three million new 360 consoles. [More]

Bruce writes: Not sure if everyone had seen this already (it was new to me), but a very cool diary sequence showing the evolution of the Kong vs T-Rex battle with lots of computer pre-vis spoilers can be seen at the bottom of the Amazon.com pre-order page for the "King Kong - Peter Jackson's Production Diaries" DVD set. !!!SPOILERS!!! [Amazon.com]

Order "King Kong - Peter Jackson's Production Diaries" from Amazon websites in different countries

J sent along these images from a photo-blogger who captured this small shoot in NYC. I had to confirm if this was some sort of second unit doing some shooting for PJ, turns out it is a King Kong promotional spot being shot. It looks remarkably like the King Kong Loto ads I've been seeing on TV lately. The ad features people running around the streets of New York screaming "It's Here!!!" and various shots of Kong from the film, they all end up at a newspaper stand (very much like the one in these shots) with a King Kong promo poster. I'll try to get a copy for you guys soon. Enjoy these dark and fuzzy pics! [More]

It is time to come together and talk Kong! The chatroom has been a great success, however some people have been popping in at odd hours when there is no one to chat with. To that end I've devised a KONG Chat time, a set time and day of the week for all Kong chatters to meet and have fun! The bi-weekly Kong Chats will be Thursday nights at 8:30PM Eastern Standard Time (a new Saturday chat has been added click here for more info). World times are below, if you need more help click here. [Kong Java Chat Room] [irc chat settings: SERVER www.theonering.net ROOM: #kongisking.net]

8:30pm (Thursday) EST in New York, Montreal
5:30pm (Thursday) PST in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco
1:30am (Friday) in GMT (UK)
2:30am (Friday) CET in Berlin, Barcelona, Amsterdam
12:30pm (Friday) in Sydney
2:30pm (Friday) in Auckland and Wellington

As if Peter Jackson weren't busy enough finishing his remake of "King Kong," due next month, he has found the time to painstakingly reconstruct a legendary lost sequence from the 1933 original. Included as part of the copious extras on the Nov. 22 DVD debut of "King Kong" is Jackson's version of the famous "spider-pit" sequence, which co-director Merian C. Cooper cut from the 1933 classic before its release. [More]

In Film Australia gets a front row seat at a special press preview screening of the partially completed centre piece battle sequence from Peter Jackson's much anticipated remake of King Kong. Stephen Rowley reports. Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong has certain quarters of the internet abuzz with anticipation. Which is only natural: Jackson is coming off an epic project that won both critical and audience acclaim, and moving on to a reworking of a much-loved classic. !!!SPOILERS!!! [More]

Gandalf writes: NZ Post has just sent out more detail about their collectable Kong coins - this pamphlet arrived in my mailbox today. All are now available for order, and range in price from NZ$29 for the "brilliant uncirculated coin" to NZ$99 for the "silver coin with gold highlights". [More]

Phil writes: There's a big annual charity telethon next week called Children in Need. For this, we've put a PC and PS2 copy of the King Kong game Collectors Edition signed by Michel Ancel up for sale on ebay, with all the proceeds going to the charity. Follow the links for more. [King Kong Game (PC)] [King Kong Game (PS2)]

John Dybvig writes: I've got a new King Kong Competition I'd like your site readers to know about. The details are on johndybvig.com, but I'll also put them in this email. As you know, the New Zealand postal office has issued a range of commemorative stamps of the movie King Kong... On my site I'm offering a chance for three lucky people to get their very own set signed by me. [More]

Residents of Wellington's central business district awoke this morning to find a Japanese-made car lying crushed in the capital's central shopping area wrapped in police tape. But then locals noticed a trail of giant footprints leading away from the car -- King Kong sized. A clerk at the nearby convenience store -- who did not wish to be named -- said the vehicle had been towed in overnight, and was clearly a visual teaser for the Peter Jackson movie. [More]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Now that domestic box office champ "Chicken Little" is a 3-D hit, could Peter Jackson's hairy ape be the next animated critter to take the big screen in 3-D? In-Three, an Agoura Hills, Calif.-based postproduction company that converts traditional live-action and animated movies into 3-D, already is at work applying its patented and trademarked "dimensionalization" process to "King Kong," which opens domestically on December 14. [More]

Kalpea sends us this update: Just wanted to tell you that my hometown (Kokkola, Finland) movie theatre Bio Rex has a big Vs. poster. It's been on the wall for couple of weeks now.

An unedited sequence of never-before-seen footage from King Kong, directed by triple Academy Award winner Peter Jackson, will debut during NBC's broadcast of Shrek on Sunday, Nov. 27 (7-9 p.m. ET). This broadcast event will treat viewers to an exclusive look at Universal Pictures' upcoming dramatic adventure more than two weeks before King Kong is released in theaters on December 14. [More]

Garry Maddox writes: We are starting to get a sense of what to expect from Peter Jackson's new version of King Kong. Word has been out for a while that the director's follow-up to The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one big movie. But recent developments have raised questions about the whether the monumental expectations surrounding the remake - that it will single-handedly revive the flagging cinema business next month and take Jackson to more Oscars glory - are realistic. [More]

You are cordially invited to attend the world premiere of the DVD hailed as "comprehensive, entertaining and informative pop-cultural history!" RINGERS will premiere in Los Angeles, California on November 16th, at the historic Vista Theatre! (A RINGERS filming location.) The after party is being organized by the people who brought you the great TheOneRing.net Lord of the Rings Oscar parties!! To order tickets click here!! [More]

Pre-Order 'Ringers: Lord of the Fans' on Amazon Today!

Kong is popping up everyewhere these days, this time Pascal sends along this image from a metro stop in Paris. He blames his iPad for the poor quality...no worries Pascal! [More]

Folks have been writing in letting me know that the German version of the King Kong trailer features some new footage, take a look for yourself!

King Kong Trailer (German)

[Large] - [Med] - [Small]

King Kong, you have some competition. A 10-foot-tall, 1,200-pound gorilla dwelled among early humans, says a new report by a Canadian researcher. Jack Rink of Canada's McMaster University concludes that the largest primate that ever lived, Gigantopithecus blackii, lived in Asia for nearly 1 million years before dying out about 100,000 years ago. Dating of fossil teeth and jawbones, the only remnants of the creature, reveals the ape's age. The gorilla had molars that measured 1 inch across, which was useful in its vegetarian diet. [More]

Voom HD Networks’ Monsters HD has a big monkey on its back. The network said Tuesday that it has acquired 44 classic and contemporary horror titles from Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution, including the original 1933 King Kong, Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young. The network said all of the films have been digitally restored, and they will air uncut, uninterrupted and in HD. Many of them will air in HD for the first time, Monsters HD added. “While the horror genre continues to thrive and fuel the box office with big-screen remakes like Peter Jackson's King Kong, this acquisition reflects our commitment as TV's No. 1 destination for the monster-movie fan,” Monsters HD senior vice president and general manager David Sehring said in a prepared statement. [More]

From usanetwork.com: One Grand Prize winner will receive a luxury trip for two to the biggest premiere of the year for the biggest star of the year! On December 5th, King Kong will take over Times Square and you can be a part of it. Here's the Kong-sized prize package:

You and a guest will fly First Class to New York
Receive 3 nights at a luxury hotel in the heart of New York
Get tickets to the premiere screening of King Kong and the exclusive after party
$500 spending money

Must be 18 or older to enter. Sweepstakes ends November 11th, so don't delay - enter now!

www.kingkonggame.com the Official Website for Ubisoft's King Kong game has updated with a ton of new swanky content, downloads, news and more! Take a look! [More]

Peter Jackson is going ape. The Hobbit-like mastermind of The Lord of the Rings is looking to lord over the jungle, signing on to helm Universal's epic remake of the Hollywood fantasy classic King Kong. No, we're not talking about an update of that beastly '70s version costarring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange (or its ignominious sequel, King Kong Lives). [More]

The state lottery's new "King Kong Millions" game is guaranteeing a jackpot of at least $50 million, spurring New Yorkers yesterday to line up for their first crack at tickets. "If I win, I want to run up to the top of the Empire State Building and yell, 'Yeah!'" said Carol Roy, 58, of the Bronx, who forked over $2 for a King Kong Millions ticket. On Dec. 5, state lottery officials will head to the top of the Empire State for the one-time drawing - part of a tie-in to next month's release of director Peter Jackson's remake of the classic film. [More]

Mike writes: Just wanted to let you know that the Kong “vs” poster is certainly hitting the U.S. I work for a movie theater which received two versions of the standee, one “large” (about 15 feet wide) and other “small”. We immediately put up the big one. As for the small one, I was able to bring it home (not put together yet, but here is a pic to get the size of the “small” one). [More]

Stuart writes: While in Wellington recently I photographed this Kong poster on a NZ post shop. The reflection gives Kong an amazing special effect (no CG required! :-). I also managed to drive my the studios in Mirimar - it seemed all quiet on the outside of the Post production facility, but I'm sure it's all busy on the inside. Can't wait for the movie to be released! [More]