KKoG: Television New Zealand's Current Affair's show 'CloseUp', last night was a Wellington Premiere special, with live coverage from the red carpet. This special is now available on the TVNZ website. In this special, KongIsKing members {ShineWonder}, and Gandalf were interviewed. The video is in three parts (the second part has the KiKn interview). [Video 1] [Video 2] [Video 3]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - He's already 25 feet tall and 8,000 pounds, but if Universal Pictures has its way, great ape King Kong is only going to get bigger. The movie studio on Tuesday said its gargantuan film "King Kong" will play in 3,568 U.S. and Canadian theaters and another 6,000-plus venues in 55 regions around the world when it hits screens just after midnight on December 14. While that's not a record -- several films have seen wider debuts and "Shrek 2" holds the record at 4,163 U.S. and Canadian theaters -- the number nevertheless is huge. [More]

When Peter Jackson's new film "King Kong" opens nationally on Wednesday, fans of the original 1933 movie won't be the only ones with an advance sense of the story line. Thousands of people have been playing the "King Kong" video game since late last month. And while the game and the film by the hit-making "Lord of the Rings" director didn't come out on the same date, the releases were close enough to be seen in the two industries as a tandem launch. Kong is the latest example of an evolving trend in Hollywood that many see as the future of filmed fiction. With some Hollywood films like "King Kong" costing as much as $200 million or more to make, the film business is desperate for ways to recoup some of those expenses. And it is turning increasingly to its video game licensees as a way to do so. [More]

Peter Jackson's version of King Kong will get one of the biggest film launches in US cinema history. Universal Pictures said 3,568 cinemas would be screening the film. Shrek 2 holds the record for a movie launch, opening in 4,163 cinemas last year. More than 6,000 cinemas in 55 other countries will also show the film, with its UK launch taking place on Thursday. Universal hopes its initial takings will rival the $66m receipts for Jackson's first Lord of The Rings film. [More]

The stars of Peter Jackson's King Kong walked down the red carpet in Wellington's Courtenay Place on Wednesday evening to the screams of thousands of waiting fans. Some fans camped out all night to get a glimpse of the film's stars who have already traipsed up red carpets at premieres in New York, London, Paris and Tokyo. With the Wellington premiere director Peter Jackson returned to where his dreams of making King Kong began. Jackson said that even more than Lord of the Rings, King Kong is very much a Wellington movie. He said he still gets a kick out of the reaction by international audiences to images of his home town. [More]

decoder writes: ABC Australia aired a fantastic interview with Peter Jackson tonight. You can read the transcript and view the interview on the website. 'David Stratton interviews director Peter Jackson about his varied and exciting filmmaking career from BAD TASTE to KING KONG.' [More]

What better way to celebrate the release of Peter Jackson's KING KONG than by giving away FREE STUFF!

Fill out the form for your chance to win one of the following amazing prizes!

Kong & V-Rex Bookend set (from Weta Collectibles / Dark Horse)
Ferrucutus Skull (from Weta Collectibles / Dark Horse)
V-Rex Skull (from Weta Collectibles / Dark Horse)
Venatosaurus Skull (from Weta Collectibles / Dark Horse)
Kong Action Figures (from Playmates)
'Kong Unbound' books (from Pocket Books)
'Island of the Skull' books (from Pocket Books)
Gameboy Advance King Kong games (from Ubisoft Games)
Production Diary DVD sets (from Universal Studios)
Kong Posters (from Universal Studios)
1933 KING KONG DVD Collector Set (Warner Bros.)
And maybe some more!

We will be posting the winners first initial and last name on our homepage as they win something and we will also contact that person by email. They will have 48 hours to claim their prize! [Kong Giveaway!]

Last night (December 12th) Sky Movies in the UK aired a great special on King Kong, it may re-hash some of the stuff seen on the HBO special (or even Dateline) but it certainly gets into the fine details! Take a look! !!!BIG SPOILERS!!! (80.9MB MOV)[More]

Jack Black was pulling double duties today as he appeared on 'Regis and Kelly' early this morning after being on 'Letterman' late last night (it is taped..but you get the gist). He told Regis how nervous he was while filming one of his first scenes in the film and how Naomi Watts was very kind to him and calmed him down. Take a look! (30.7MB MOV)[More]

Jack Black was a guest on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' last night (Dec 12th). He told a funny story about his goal to wear no makeup like Clint Eastwood (sort of) and how he received stitches and a massive black eye while doing a stunt for his latest film. Also be sure to check out Jack's 'Running from monsters' bit. (58.7MB MOV)[More]

Parn sends along these images from the King Kong Premiere in Paris, France from a few days ago. And as always keep a lookout just to the right of this space for the Wellington premiere, featuring all the stars. Word has it that Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts were spotted at the Chocolate Fish cafe today! [More]

King Kong Premiere: New York, New York Gallery III

MrCere sends along his third and last set of photos from the NYC Premiere of King Kong. Take a look! More from the Paris premiere (and of course Wellington) soon! [More]

FoxNews.com Foxlife - In the Foxlight video segment, found on the main news page, begins with a segment on a gorilla that allegedly "fell in love" with Andy Serkis during his gorilla research and threw milk on Andy's wife when she visited with Andy! [More]

So, like the lucky few (thousand) folks who have seen the film you now want to chat about it with others...then come on in! Click on over to KongisKing.net Chat, login however you like (via MIRC or JavaChat) and the navigate over to #moviechat and share your thoughts and ideas! [Chat Now!]

Brandon Gray, President and Publisher of Box Office Mojo writes: 'King Kong' will open at 3,568 theaters -- far from a record breaker, but wide enough to break box office records if the audience interest is hot enough. Universal is giving more screens to 'Kong' than any of its previous pictures. Also, Universal talks about expectations and more. [More]

The folks from scoop.co.nz write: We are going to be streaming the web stream with R2.co.nz and filing live high res images off the red carpet from 3.30pm (45 minutes from now!). [Link 1] [Link 2] [Link 3]

The folks from WETA write: Just letting you know that we've updated the Weta Publishing site with some information on the Creative Team. They're featured on the main page, but they've also got a dedicated page. [More]

Order 'The World of Kong : A Natural History of Skull Island' on Amazon.com Today!

Keith writes: To celebrate the opening of KING KONG we've added many exclusive photographs and information to Andy's KONG section at serkis.com

Thanks to IMDB we have a list of US cinemas showing King Kong tonight at 12:01AM exactly! Follow this link to find a city in your area. [USA Map]

Canadians aren't so lucky, we have to search for our favorite cinema and see if they are playing Kong tonight. [CAN Map]

Watch this space for Kong Giveaways Galore! And perhaps...Show us your King Kong Ticket Stub!

koma sange KONG!

I know today is filled with interesting news, and I know James Howard was very recently awarded with a Golden Globe Nomination for his great work on the King Kong score...but I cannot keep this under my belt any longer. Musical group 'The Jimmy Castor Bunch' have the most wonderful King Kong song that is guaranteed to get your toes tapping. Download this and play it loudly! (3.3MB MP3) ['King Kong']

Order 'The Best of the Jimmy Castor Bunch' featuring 'King Kong' on Amazon.com Today!

Rookan writes: A few hours ago the Nominationen for the GOLDEN GLOBES appeared. King Kong was 2 times nominated. Follow this link for all the nominees. [More]

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE

Woody Allen - Match Point
George Clooney - Good Night, And Good Luck.
PETER JACKSON - KING KONG
Ang Lee - Brokeback Mountain
Fernando Meirelles - The Constant Gardener
Steven Spielberg - Munich

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE

Alexandre Desplat - Syriana
JAMES NEWTON HOWARD - KING KONG
Gustavo Santaolalla - Brokeback Mountain
Harry Gregson-Williams - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
John Williams - Memoirs of a Geisha

WELLINGTON (AFP) - Movie director Peter Jackson is the king of special effects but even he was outdone when the audience was shaken and stirred by an earthquake during a preview screening of his new blockbuster "King Kong". The quake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale hit Wellington about an hour into the film and at first it was difficult to tell what was happening. The theatre was already filled with the sound of the roaring of the sea and scraping metal as onscreen a ship belonging to the eventual capturers of King Kong was smashed against the rocks of the sinister Skull Island. [More]

Rookan writes: This morning on Good Morning America, Joel Siegel gave a great review of King Kong with the following quote: "If the academy had guts, they'd nominate King Kong this year for best actor. He's going to make more people cheer and more people cry than any other movie star this year. Grade: A" [More]

How cool is this? You can now go to any good DVD outlet and pick up our Production Diaries (lovingly called 'PD's') on DVD today! Please help support KongisKing by buying them from Amazon's worldwide stores. Just follow this link!! [More]

I first caught the latest cover of Empire Magazine while in the gift shop at the Empire State Building in New York, how fitting! Take a look at Kong rampaging his way through the magazine. Their website features interviews with Jack Black, Peter Jackson, Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Jamie Bell & Richard Taylor! [More]

DevilDodo writes: Just thought I'd let you know that Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper's review of King Kong is available in audio format on their website where they give the film two thumbs up: "This film has some of the most exciting and amazing action sequences I've ever seen... A great thrill ride with the occasionally beautiful moment... Pay no attention to the December 14th release date, I think this is really a classic summer movie." [More]

NEW YORK � On the eve of the opening of a new King Kong, one thing is clear: Gorilla filmmaking has evolved so much, even Charles Darwin would be impressed. Back in 1933, Willis O'Brien and his raft of animators laboriously manipulated, frame by frame, an 18-inch ape puppet with a jointed metal skeleton wrapped in rubber and rabbit fur to bring the first King Kong to historic life. [More]

More than 72 years after he first terrified cinema-goers, the original King Kong is still a monster hit with Wellington audiences. Tickets have already sold out for the Wellington Central Library's Saturday night screening of the original 1933 film co-directed by Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack. Wellington director Peter Jackson, whose epic $294 million remake of the classic monster flick has its New Zealand premiere tomorrow, credits this film with converting him into a life-long film maker at the age of nine. [More]

James Newton Howard's King Kong Soundtrack hits storeshelves today (December 13th). Follow these links to order on Amazon sites around the world (and you can do your part to help raise funds for KongisKing.net). You can also order John Barry '76 Kong score and Max Steiner's famous '33 score. [More]

The Making of King Kong : The Official Guide to the Motion Picture (Paperback)

Universal Pictures' long-anticipated reimagining of the classic 1933 Merian C. Cooper film, directed by Peter Jackson, Academy Award�-winning director of The Lord of the Rings. Featuring stunning visual effects and a cast that includes Academy Award� nominee Naomi Watts, Academy Award� winner Adrien Brody, and Jack Black, King Kong is a groundbreaking masterpiece that breathes new life into a cinematic legend. [More]

The Sci-Fi Channel is airing a special on King Kong tonight (December 13th) at 10:00PM EST. From the website: Tune in after Dinocroc for a preview of Peter Jackson's update of a cinematic classic. [scifi.com]

Following his appearance on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' (clip coming soon) Jack Black is slated to be a guest on 'Live! with Regis and Kelly' this morning. Check your local listings for channel and time.

Daniel writes: Just a headsup to tell you our latest Featured Creature World of Kong excerpt is up now on the Weta website. We'll be updating these every few days...stay tuned! [More]

MrCere writes: NEW YORK � The DVDs are held in almost sacred reverence among a small handful that transcends everything else in the marketplace. They are great not only for the films they showcase but for they way the films are presented and the excellent and plentiful extras included. They stand alongside the �Alien� box set, the �Godfather� set, the best of �The Terminator� editions, the �bootleg� version of �Almost Famous� and the best �Fight Club� edition as the top of the form. [More]

When he�s not monkeying around in Rwanda, Andy Serkis goes ape for Italy. Andy Serkis, 41, is the human form behind the computer-generated Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Kong in Peter Jackson�s remake of King Kong (where he also gets to play Lumpy the Cook). In addition, he has appeared as the producer Martin Hannett in 24 Hour Party People and Bill Sikes in Alan Bleasdale�s TV adaptation of Oliver Twist. He lives in London with his wife, the actress Lorraine Ashbourne, and their three children. [More]

The World of Kong : A Natural History of Skull Island

Ataahua writes: This morning on Newstalk ZB in New Zealand, Richard Taylor was interviewed by Mike Hosking about the Weta designers� new book, 'The World of Kong: the natural history of Skull Island'. Among Taylor�s revelations was that, by his estimate, only 5% of the original movie is in PJ�s updated version. [More]

Order 'The World of Kong : A Natural History of Skull Island' on Amazon.com Today!

Richard sends along scans from the latest issue of Film Review Magazine. It features the Big Guy on the cover and a nice article featuring KongisKing.net! Take a look! [More]

Ataahua writes: With the release of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and the coming release of King Kong, the December issue of the New Zealand Listener focuses on the New Zealand film industry and its increasing profile in Hollywood. �Where New Zealand stands out,� says Judith McCann, CEO of Film NZ, which promotes this country as a film-making location, �is Peter Jackson. Peter�s achievements with Lord of the Rings absolutely put New Zealand on the global map. Everyone started noticing us.� [More]

This link to 'Worth1000' is good for a giggle. Take a look at some of these fake Kong posters, some so good it makes me wonder what graphic designers are doing when they claim to be running behind schedule. Take alook at these! [More]

6,000-lb King Kong Travels Via 'Kong-Voy' From Film's New York World Premiere to Universal Studios Hollywood, as World's Largest Movie Studio and Theme Park Kicks Off Holiday Celebration Beginning December 14. UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Immediately following his debut at the King Kong world premiere in New York City, the behemoth 6,000-lb silverback gorilla Kong has embarked on a cross country "Kong-voy" journey, traveling from Times Square to Universal Studios Hollywood. Towering over 20 ft. in height, Kong will become the centerpiece of the holiday celebration at the world's largest movie studio and theme park beginning December 14. The gigantic ape will arrive at Universal Studios Hollywood with fanfare commensurate with his screen presence. Following arrival of the "Kong-voy," Kong will be airlifted into the theme park in preparation to loom over guests at the heart of the park's adrenaline-pumping rides and attractions. [More]

What a piece of work is Kong. The big ape with a heart of gold has been hanging around America's popular consciousness for decades now - almost like it was the Empire State Building. Now in his third official cinematic incarnation, thanks to director Peter Jackson, the supersized simian is just another lonely guy with a tragic weak spot for the blondes. Or is he, somehow, symbolic? "Kong has emerged in the last decades as one of our great culture heroes," wrote critic Elliott Stein in "Cinema: A Critical Dictionary," "an absorbed and central personage of the American mythos." [More]

Among the reasons "King Kong" - the old 100-minute black-and-white version, that is - has retained its appeal over the years is that it reminds audiences of the do-it-yourself, seat-of-the-pants ethic of early motion pictures. In 1933, when RKO released it, sound film was in its infancy, and film itself was in the midst of a coltish, irrepressible adolescence. Merian C. Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack, who directed the first "Kong," understood the alchemical convergence of gimmickry and sublimity that lay at the heart of the medium's unrivaled potential to generate spectacle and sensation. [More]

DevilDodo writes: It seems NZ has been airing different TV Spots than the ones on the official Kong website. Here is one I found while booking tickets online at Berkeley Cinemas. A couple of new, wicked shots in there. Bring on the 14th! [More]

King Kong Premiere: New York, New York Gallery II

So after freezing his tookus off in Times Square for the NYC premiere, what happened to our giant friend after they took him down? Brian tells the tale: Just thought I�d let you know that I saw the Kong model used in Times Square here last night in Los Angeles� Universal Studios. He was in a back lot, and had just been brought in. I was attending the KROQ X-Mas show and after the show went back to the upper deck of the parking facility and spotted him below me. It was too dark to snap a pic, but I�m sure they brought him here to use somewhere in the park (Kongfrontation, maybe?) Anyways, he�s residing comfortably (and warm) here in Los Angeles.

PETER JACKSON was a nine-year-old in the New Zealand town of Pukerua Bay when he first saw the 1933 version of King Kong. He was in tears in front of the TV when the big gorilla slipped off the Empire State Building. Jackson has shed quite a few Kong-sized tears over the years, including when he finally met the star Fay Wray, frail at 96, a few weeks before she died and he started filming his version. Jackson made hobbits heroic, put the name Gollum up in lights and gave Harry Potter a run for his money. But even he could not do much about one narrative reality: this film has to end with an eight-metre-tall ape dead on 34th Street. [More]

Tim writes: Starting this week nationally syndicated comic strip "Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!" begins a two-week story arc that is a King Kong parody. [More]

Peter Jackson has a satisfyingly sure-handed update in 'King Kong.' There's a moment about 45 minutes into Peter Jackson's "King Kong," as the "motion-picture ship" the Venture approaches the fog-shrouded shores of Skull Island, when Jimmy (Jamie Bell), the youngest member of the crew, looks up from his copy of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" with a troubled look and says, "It's not an adventure story, is it, Mr. Hayes?" To which the grave first-mate Hayes (Evan Parke) replies categorically, "No, Jimmy, it's not." [More]

The National Board of Review has awarded KING KONG an award for Outstanding Achievement in Special Effects. Take a look at the list of other award winners here. [More] [nbrmp.org]

Peter Travers of ROLLING STONE has published his Top Ten List:

A History of Violence
Brokeback Mountain
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich
Capote
The Squid and The Whale
The Constant Gardner
Crash
Tied for #10 - KING KONG and The Wedding Crashers

NEW YORK Dec 12, 2005 � One is a three-hour, $200 million-plus combination of digital effects, yearlong hype and the largest of monkeys. The other is a frantic $30,000 production depicting an actress desperate for cardboard-thin parts in the B-est of movies. The films couldn't be more different and neither could Naomi Watts' career from what it was five years ago. On Friday, Watts hits theaters worldwide with the famed ape in "King Kong." But her balance between blockbuster siren and indie shape-shifter is epitomized by the semi-autobiographical "Ellie Parker," released a month ago, featuring Watts in the Hollywood hell of a struggling actress. [More]

Jack Black is slated to be a guest on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' tonight (December 12th). Jack is there to promote King Kong, be on the lookout for Jables to also appear and cause some havoc. 'The Late Show' airs on CBS at 11:35PM.

wsl1959 writes: There will be a King Kong special on Film 2005 With Jonathan Ross Tonight (December 12th) 11.05PM on BBC1.

Edinburgh Zoo has joined forces with a Capital cinema to encourage more people to visit the zoo and see the real life stars of two of the year's biggest movies. To celebrate the launch of the blockbuster films, March of the Penguins and King Kong, the attraction has linked up with Cineworld, Fountainpark, to give youngsters free access to the zoo. Anyone who sees either film there can take their ticket to the zoo and get a child in for free. [More]

James Newton Howard's King Kong Soundtrack will hit storeshelves tomorrow (December 13th). Follow these links to order on Amazon sites around the world (and you can do your part to help raise funds for KongisKing.net). You can also order John Barry '76 Kong score and Max Steiner's famous '33 score. [More]

NEW YORK -- If you're set to play King Kong's latest girlfriend, it's not the most auspicious beginning to have Fay Wray scream at you -- and we don't mean in terror. But that's how it went when Naomi met Fay -- Naomi Watts being the leading lady in Peter Jackson's big, noisy $200-million homage to the 1933 classic. [More]

The review of "King Kong" that appeared in the March 7, 1933, edition of Daily Variety called the fantasy-adventure a goofy yarn "about a 50-foot ape who goes for a five-foot blonde." That pretty much describes Peter Jackson's remake, though Naomi Watts � who takes over for 5-foot-3 Fay Wray as Depression-era actress and ape bait Ann Darrow � stands 5-foot-5. But where 1933 moviegoers were warned by Variety's critic that they would have to forgive the film's "machine-like movements" and "phony atmosphere," you are advised to buckle your seat belt. [More]

Chris from Ubisoft UK writes: Text "KONGGAME" to 83040 to see the game trailer, download game images, see reviews, order a demo to be sent to your house, or to enter a competition to win a PSP. If you own a 3G phone, then video call 83040 and you'll be able to see a game trailer and movie trailer on the 3G Video Channel. Please be aware that this is UK exclusive!

Richard sends along this beautiful kiosk-type poster of King Kong. It was spotted at the lobby entrance of First Markham Place Theatre in Toronto, Canada. [More]

If there's one person who knows how much time and energy Peter Jackson put into his upcoming remake of King Kong, it's producer Michael Pellerin, who has been working with Jackson for years on the behind-the-scenes footage for the Lord of the Rings extended DVDs. For King Kong, his production team spent two years filming and editing everything on set and off, putting up regular segments on the KongisKing.net website, which have now been compiled by Universal into a two-disc limited edition DVD set, King Kong: Peter Jackson's Production Diaries. Besides having better quality versions of the internet diaries, all arranged in a way that allows you to view them in different ways, they've also included some cool extras, like an exclusive 20-minute segment on the making of the film's pivotal T-Rex battle. [More]

Pre-Order 'King Kong: Peter Jackson's Production Diaries' Here!

Break out the popcorn and prepare to be blown away. "King Kong" is the most pulse-pounding and heart-stirring romantic adventure since "Titanic." Peter Jackson's stupendous, supersized remake not only pays loving tribute to the 1933 classic, it elaborates on the "Beauty and the Beast" story in smart, awe-inspiring ways that will have audiences repeatedly bursting into applause � and reaching for their handkerchiefs as the big ape heads for his date with destiny on the Empire State Building. (Registration Needed) [More]

King Kong co-star Colin Hanks told SCI FI Wire that his father, Oscar winner Tom Hanks, was both proud and jealous that he'd landed a role in Peter Jackson's epic remake and got to shoot it in New Zealand. The younger Hanks plays Preston, assistant and would-be moral conscience of Carl Denham (Jack Black), the overzealous director whose effort to make a movie results in deadly encounters with a giant gorilla named Kong. [More]

"At the Movies" will air a special with Peter Jackson on Australia's ABC Tuesday, December 13th at 10:30pm. Click here for more details. [More]

Keep up to date with all Kong related TV goodness on our TV listings page.

Glenn writes: Just wanted to remind you of the awards attention King Kong is getting. It is currently listed as one of the Top 10 films of the year by the American Film Institute (AFI) and nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the Critics' Choice Awards. Take a look! [More]

NEW YORK -- Jack Black's eyebrows are special effects in themselves. It's easy to see why "King Kong" director Peter Jackson thought of them, and their owner, when casting the role of wild-eyed Depression-era moviemaker Carl Denham. This character, part showman and part visionary, gets the plot, the Skull Island expedition and the ginormous critters in motion in both the original 1933 classic and Jackson's near-quarter-billion-dollar remake. [More]

As A small, apparently terrified, figure dashes in and out of the trees in the pitch-black California park, the security guards turn on their flashing lights and drive over. "It's all right - it's just me, Jack Black," reassures the man, as he sprints by. "I'm preparing for King Kong." With a wicked wink, singer-actor Jack Black - who plays Carl Denham, the villain of Peter Jackson's blockbuster remake - explains the method in his madness. "I'd go there at night and run around when nobody was there, looking over my shoulder, imagining monsters." [More]

Gandalf writes: This article appeared in the Dom Post today (12 Dec 2005), a brief story about the possible fate of the vessel used as the Venture in PJ's King Kong. [More]

Bright lights, Big city. Peter and his crew were in New York City for the big premiere of King Kong, this second to last PPD focuses on the grueling press junkets and the hype up to the release of the film. The cast have re-teamed for these junkets, where hundreds of press from around the world sit in and ask them questions over and over. The premiere party preparations are also seen, how the thousands of tickets are dished out to various people, and the politics behind getting the tickets (I must have angered someone because my tickets were for a nosebleed theatre across the street and up several floors from EVERYONE else on KongisKing, they got to actually sit with PJ, Naomi and Jack Black...-Xo). They also show us the after-party and the special VIP room. Some great shots of all the cast and crew, people like Bob Burns, Will Farrel, Donald Trump and other special guests from that night last week. Take a look! [QT6 240x132px 7Mb] [QT4 320x176px 13Mb] [QT6 480x264px 16Mb] [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 rounded out the night by winning Best Game Based on a Movie. Ubisoft's Michel Ancel was on hand to accept the award (as Jack was busy doing...his business). Michel was clearly excited, and took home one of the presenters as a prize! Take a look! (24.3MB AVI) [More]

The second award won by Ubisoft for King Kong was Best Group Performance, once again Jack Black accepted the award on behalf of the entire cast. He was in full Jables mode as he took the award dressed only in his underwear. Take a look! (if you dare) (5.1MB AVI) [More]

Ubisoft's King Kong game won 3 awards last night (and not 2 as previously reported). The first was 'Best Performance By a Human Male', much to everyones delight Carmen Electra announced the nominees and the winner, Jack Black. Jack accepted his award via pre-recorded segment (most likely from his latest movie shoot in Mexico). Take a look! (16.5MB AVI) [More]

A funny King Kong/Burger King ad ran last night during the Spike Video Game Awards. The ad features that scary as hell Burger King guy (he was at the NYC Premiere afterparty...with 2 beautiful women on each arm..how did that happen?) Take a look! (4.7MB AVI) [More]

Forgive Claire Jarkovsky if she doesn't remember every plot turn of "King Kong." It has been more than 70 years since she's viewed the film in its entirety. But even after seven decades, she remembers with clarity the emotions she felt upon discovering the 1933 movie as a 5-year-old in Maryland: Jarkovsky was overcome with sympathy for the giant ape and his relationship with a blond bombshell played by Fay Wray. [More]

To play Ann Darrow, the screaming blonde who fascinates a giant gorilla in the third version of �King Kong,� which opens on Wednesday, Naomi Watts knew there was an essential step she had to take: She had to meet the original - actress Fay Wray, who became part of film history in the 1933 classic. �It�s a lot to live up to,� said the 37-year-old English-born actress. �You know, it�s: �What if I�m gonna be remembered for this?�� With �Kong� fanatic Peter Jackson, the force behind this new version, Watts dined with Wray in Manhattan. [More]

(CBS) Who could ever forget this: King Kong atop the Empire State Building, dying for his love, a swooning Fay Wray? Ray Morton certainly couldn't forget. He first saw "King Kong" when he was 8. He was frightened and inspired, inspired to become a screenwriter, to collect every bit of Kong memorabilia he could get his hands on, and inspired to write the definitive book, "King Kong: The History Of A Movie Icon." [More]

He's huge, hairy and a king among monsters. But make no mistake, the gorilla in Peter Jackson's "King Kong" is not your grandfather's giant ape. The 1933 "King Kong" and Jackson's brand-new version have much in common, of course. Both monsters hail from a mysterious, fog-enshrouded island, both wind up at the top of the Empire State Building after a brief flirtation with show business, and they both have a fixation with a glamorous actress named Ann Darrow, who travels quite neatly in their gargantuan mitts. [More]

King Kong may look ferocious on the big screen, but experts say a gorilla that size wouldn't make a monkey out of New York City. In Universal Pictures' "King Kong" - opening Wednesday - the title beast trashes 1930s Manhattan just as it did in Merian C. Cooper's 1933 original. But after 70 years of advances in military technology, the primate likely wouldn't make it past the first few floors of the Empire State Building. [More]

Peter Jackson's grand remake of "King Kong," based on the 1933 RKO classic featuring a big lug, a big screamer and a pair of magical islands, Skull and Manhattan, contains a secret ingredient. The secret is not the plus-size gorilla, a digital achievement of a rare order. You wouldn't call Kong a secret. He is, after all, the title. The secret is not the dinosaurs or the oversize, man-eating bugs, scarifying as they are. [More]

DeWitt Henry writes: I didn't become a Kong-head as a boy, when I first viewed the 1933 film ''King Kong" on television, but 40 years later, when I was enjoying the video with my 5-year-old son, and my wife, a progressive educator, asked me to fast-forward past Kong's gnashing and stomping of natives. She objected to the film's blatant racism, sexism, and violence. Of course, fast-forwarding roused our son's curiosity and lent the film an aura of forbidden pleasure. Afterward we sat down together and attempted to rewrite the tale from the ape's point of view, emphasizing Kong's childlike innocence as he fondles the squeaking girl who reminds him of his mother, and as he proves his power against dinosaurs. This issue of framing a culturally offensive classic was a troubling one. [More]

Forbes Magazine asked real scientists who would win a battle between King Kong and a T-Rex. [More]

Friday's Game Daily Biz features this article and interview with Michel Ancel, Xavier Poix, and Chance Thomas: While Peter Jackson's King Kong has yet to hit theaters, Ubisoft's adaptation of the movie has given gamers a glimpse into Kong's universe weeks in advance. Making a movie-based game is not terribly difficult for most publishes, but making one that's actually good is quite another matter. We speak with Kong's Producer (Xavier Poix), Creative Director (Michel Ancel) and the game's composer (Chance Thomas) in this exclusive interview. [More]

We recently sat down with Peter Jackson to discuss the epic filmmaker�s gigantic remake of King Kong. A film that has been on the director�s mind ever since one fateful Friday night decades ago, �I saw it when I was nine years old and started to experiment with stop motion the day after I saw it. On Saturday I got made a dinosaur and tried to animate it frame by frame.� He then went onto share that he actually had tried to remake the film when he was only twelve but, �didn�t get very far before I realized it was a bit ambitious.� That ambition would finally pay off when in 1996 the film was given the go ahead by Universal. However it wasn�t too far along when it ran into a �monstrous� problem. �They pulled the plug when Mighty Joe Young and Godzilla were coming out because they didn�t want to be the third place in the monster movie race.� [More]

Andy Serkis was a special guest on BBC2's 'The Culture Show' on December 8th. Far from doing the typical cookie cutter type interview they went with Andy to the London Zoo, a place he studied some of the great gorillas in preparation of his role as King Kong. Take a look! (33.9MB MPG) [More]

The Official King Kong site has gone on to it's final update, the new swanky flash-heavy site is full of little goodies (who knew SKIIPS were called Skull Islanders?!) and fun things to look through. Take a look! [More]

Rookan sends along these very cool Oscar Campaign ads from Universal. Seems they are making quite a pitch to the Academy voters! As one who has seen the film...I don't think the Academy will be able to look past it! [More]

From an early age, Peter Jackson dreamed of remaking King Kong, the classic fantasy movie directed by Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Shoedsack in 1933. His first attempt, aged 12, was, unsurprisingly, a failure. When he tried again in the mid 90s, the studios pulled the plug. But then he hit box-office and studio paydirt with Lord Of The Rings and finally, Jackson was able to revive King Kong and fulfil the childhood dream he had stubbornly clung to for more than three decades. The results are astonishing. [More]

Matthew writes: Andy Serkis was on Mark Kermode's film review section of the Simon Mayo show on BBC Radio 5 on friday. you can download the podcast here. [More]

Spike TV's Video Game Awards air tonight on the network. Ubisoft's King Kong game was nominated for several awards and did indeed win 2 (this show is pre-tapped). Ubisoft won the following awards: Best Game Based on a Movie & Best Performance by a Human - Male: Jack Black. Tune into the show at 9PM est on Spike TV to watch. [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

An writes: Hey good people of KongisKing, first of all, a big congrats on the great site! I've been keeping a close eye on it, you guys really are the greatest!! And secondly, friend of mine went to Paris very recently and took some pictures of a giant Kong-banner at a cinema, thought I'd send them in, just in case. [More]

While the glittering premieres are being held overseas, the New Zealand "back office" of two potentially massive blockbusters is again celebrating Kiwi-made films hitting the world stage. Less than two years after the Lord of the Rings trilogy's world domination culminated in a flood of Oscars, King Kong and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are set to go head-to-head at the global box office. Both big budget extravaganzas are made by New Zealand directors and mostly shot in their native land. New York rolled out the red carpet for Peter Jackson's ambitious remake of the 1933 gorilla movie classic earlier this week and London saw the premiere of Andrew Adamson's adaptation of the CS Lewis children's classic. [More]

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, �To be great is to be misunderstood.� Emerson probably never had a gigantic ape in mind when he wrote those words, but King Kong is back. The American moviegoing public is almost as excited as director Peter Jackson is to welcome the big lug to the big screen on Wednesday. �King Kong� remains a classic love story - the ultimate tale of beauty meets beast, beast falls in love with beauty, saves her from dinosaurs, takes her captive, moves to New York City, cannot find enough living space, fights off biplanes and meets untimely end. [More]

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A new version of "King Kong" to be released for the holiday season, from New Zealand director Peter Jackson, is reportedly the sixth most expensive film in Hollywood history. The adventures of the giant gorilla are shown through special effects costing 207 million dollars, compared with the 10 million dollars, in today's money, spent on the original by Merian Cooper in 1933, according to the New York-based business magazine Forbes. Forbes said Hollywood spent an average of 64 million dollars per film in 2004.

The most expensive ever was "Cleopatra," with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, directed by Joseph Mankiewicz in 1963, for 286.4 million dollars (in 2005 money). The rest include:

"Titanic," by James Cameron (1997) $247 million.
"Waterworld," by Kevin Costner (1995) $229 million.
"Terminator 3," by Jonathan Mostow (2003) $216 million.
"Spider-Man 2" by Sam Raimi (2004) $210 million.
"Wild Wild West" by Barry Sonnenfeld (1999) $203.8 million.
"Speed 2" by Jan de Bont (1997) $198.8 million.

Edward Douglas writes: Most people will know Andy Serkis from�No, I can't do it. I just can't write another of my usual generic intros for this particular interview, since I'm beyond frustrated with how little respect Andy Serkis gets from his peers. For goodness sake! Let's give this talented actor an Oscar already! He helped create one of the most fully realized CG characters on film, as Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but now, he's given humanity and true emotion to a giant CGI gorilla in Peter Jackson's remake of the monster movie classic, King Kong, and yet, he's probably going to be ignored again. It's bad enough that he plays the title role in the movie, yet ends up getting fourth billing. [More]

Ann Darrow, the beautiful, but hapless vaudeville actress, is strung up by her wrists, ready to be sacrificed to a huge beast that roams the jungles of mysterious Skull Island. Her screams do not help her as they only excite the beast, who remains unseen, but from the heavy rustling in the forest, is closing in on her at a furious pace. Then, through mist and the trees, just metres from Darrow, it is revealed. It is King Kong. [More]

Roheryn writes: On "Fresh Air," heard on many public radio stations, Terry Gross said that Friday's interview show would feature a look back at the beloved "low tech" King Kong. Once the program airs, you may listen to an audio file of it, archived on their web site. [More]

The bigger they are, the harder they fall. And few movie legends have been bigger or fallen harder than King Kong. That drop off the Empire State Building was a doozy. But you can't keep a great ape down. The larger-than-life mammal who once ruled the dino-infested turf of Skull Island and ran wild through Manhattan in his namesake 1933 fantasy adventure gave Depression-era audiences the escape route they craved. [More]

Access Hollywood was all over the red carpet premiere of King Kong in New York City, even I ran into Billy Bush at the after party (he thought I grabbed his butt...long story -Xo). Take a look at their coverage for more coolness...more video coming soon! (11.4MB MOV) [More]

Hot on the heels of Adrien Brody was Colin Hanks on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' last night (Dec 7th). Colin angers both Ringers and Kiwis alike (all in good fun), and he deftly avoids talking about his drug addicted past. Take a look! (33.8MB MOV) [More]

These are a little late in arriving (thanks to being sick and New York and moving house) Adrien Brody was a guest on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' on December 6th. They spoke about LOTR vs. Kong fandom and even Brody's appearance at Comic Con. Take a look! (37.3MB MOV) [More]

Has there ever a big effects film as good as Peter Jackson�s King Kong? It appears to us now the way the 1933 version must have appeared to audiences: as something utterly breathtaking and new. Where Jackson goes with his, how he aimed higher and achieved more than the human imagination seems capable of with cinema as its mode of expression, is breathtaking. But it isn�t just a spectacle � like the mighty beast itself, Jackson�s film reveals a beating heart. Here is the true story of love and sex between males and females � nature in all of its grotesque beauty. [More]

MrCere writes: NEW YORK - For those who are interested, I thought I might run you through the experience of shooting a red carpet event. First, let me declare that I hated it. Oh I was pleased to take a few pictures of the stars and those who worked on the film, I just hated the atmosphere in which it happened. I was determined that KiKn and its readers enjoy the same press opportunities as other news outlets, since our readers are a good deal more passionate about it than others. Mammas don't let your babies grow up to be paparazzi. [More]

Take a look at a few select images from the King Kong Premiere at the Marlene Dietrich square on December 7th. [More]

The King Kong castmembers crossed the pond soon after the New York premiere and headed to Germany and London, here are a select few images from the London premiere. Germany and more photos from New York to come soon! [More]

Back in 1933 RKO studios shot the original version of King Kong for $670,000�roughly $10m in today's money. Next week a new version of the film, made for $207m, goes on general release around the world. Perhaps only Hollywood would hope to profit by offering a 70-year-old product, refurbished, at 308 times its original cost. Yet chutzpah may have its rewards. Early reviews have verged on the adulatory, after a premiere in New York on Monday, declared to be �King Kong Day� by the mayor. Sponsors are putting King Kong logos on everything from breakfast cereal to credit cards. Big queues at cinemas for King Kong, and for another big-budget film out this month, Walt Disney's �Chronicles of Narnia�, could push total American box office takings for 2005 back towards last year's level, after a slide earlier this year. [More]

From The London Times: You're Peter Jackson. Your previous movie, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, scooped 11 Oscars. Your international box office tally is up there somewhere round the $3 billion mark. So what do you do next? A low-budget ghost story? A Rings spin-off? No, you plough more than $200 million , including a hefty chunk of your own fortune, into a three-hour remake of a camp 1933 classic with B-list actors, a bucket-load of computer effects, and a giant gorilla. That Jackson�s King Kong upgrades the now hammy original with wit, heart and humour is a pleasant surprise. That it does so by reinventing the action blockbuster, in form and emotional impact, is nothing less than an act of cinematic alchemy. [More]

Pungolo writes: Hey Xoanon! Today I had a good chat with mr. Alan Lee, who was presenting his new book here in Milan! We spoke mainly about Kong, but he said some interesting things about LOTR too (even if we are going to publish a report of a conference he gave after our interview, in which he showed a lot of interesting material - we'll send you the photos for TORN). [More]

Now at Moviefone.com, movie fans can go behind the scenes and learn about the making of one of the most anticipated movies of the year, "King Kong," in our exclusive behind-the-scenes gallery. [More]

Andy "Gollum" Serkis got a little too close to the apes to channel King Kong. King Kong's return, 72 years after his introduction in the original classic, is the year's best more-than-mortal comeback since Batman Begins. And the giant ape owes it to his alter ego, Andy Serkis. Serkis can do it all, from balding mystical runt to huge, hairy anthropoid in a blink of the camera's eye. He was the heart and soul of creepy Gollum, the defrocked hobbit in The Lord of the Rings. Now he's Hollywood's go-to guy for iconic gorillas in our midst. [More]

Wellington Zoo is celebrating the New Zealand release of Peter Jackson's King Kong with a special week - the Truth about Great Apes week - from 10 - 18 December, Zoo CEO Alison Lash announced today. 'The excitement surrounding King Kong gives us a great opportunity to let people know more about apes and why their numbers are decreasing in the wild,' said Alison. 'We have a really exciting week planned with special guided tours, daily chimp talks and some fantastic prizes to be won.' [More]

Andy Serkis is set to be a guest on 'The Culture Show' on BBC2: Andy Serkis, the British actor who created Gollum for Lord of the Rings, talks about his new role as King Kong. And why the digital revolution is a cultural revolution. [More]

December 08, 2005 - Available on all major platforms, Peter Jackson's King Kong is the official game of the noted filmmaker's latest opus. Carl Denham is a movie director looking for some way to revive his flagging career. He believes such an opportunity exists on Skull Island, a remote place where prehistoric creatures have managed to avoid extinction. Its tropical jungles are also home to the titular primate, an immensely powerful beast standing over 25 feet tall. A playwright by vocation, Jack Driscoll has been hired as the scriptwriter on the project, in which Ann Darrow, an actress struggling to make good in Depression-era New York, has the leading lady role. Her kidnapping by natives who intend to offer her up as a sacrifice to the great ape sets in motion a gripping chain of events that will ultimately culminate in the American metropolis. [More]

Soloman writes: Peter Travers' Rolling Stone review is now up, and it's another enthusiastic rave. "Here is the jaw-dropping, eye-popping, heart-stopping movie epic we've been waiting for all year. Peter Jackson follows up his Lord of the Rings trifecta with a stupendously entertaining redo of the 1933 classic that made him want to make movies. [...] What you see will spin your head six ways from Sunday." [More]

Todd Mccarthy writes: It's the Return of the King all over again, and he's got a dazzling Queen. Almost too much of a good thing, Peter Jackson's remake of the film that made him want to make movies is a super-sized version of a yarn that was big to begin with, a stupendous adventure that maximizes, and sometimes oversells, its dazzling wares; but, no matter how spectacular the action, "King Kong" is never more captivating than when the giant ape and his blond captive are looking into each others' eyes. Universal and Jackson's B.O. haul in all markets is destined to be huge -- "Rings" or even "Titanic" huge. [More]

Wellington is awash with excitement around the upcoming Red Carpet Screening of King Kong on Wednesday 14 December and the City Council is offering the public the chance to win one of 50 double passes to the grandstands in Courtenay Place. Director Peter Jackson, and actors Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, and Andy Serkis, who performs the role as Kong, will all be attending as well as a number of New Zealand celebrities. Thousands of people are expected to gather in Courtenay Place to join the celebrations. [More]

Soloman sends along this link to their King Kong review. They give it an unequivocal rave! Grade A!: "[Jackson is] the most gifted big-picture artist working today, a master of epics from a human-eye view who excels at employing 21st-century technological wizardry to suit the needs of ageless, personal storytelling." [More]

King Kong, the film about an ape who terrorises New York City, made its European premiere in Berlin on Wednesday night. Kong stars Naomi Watts (21 Grams), Oscar-winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) and Jack Black (School of Rock). A press conference was held at the hotel "Adlon" in the afternoon with the leading cast members alongside the film's director, Peter Jackson. Jackson told reporters outside the premiere that he first tried to remake King Kong with a home movie camera when he was 12, but it "didn't work out". [More]

Jack Matthews writes: In assessing this year's Oscar race last month, I wrote that if Peter Jackson's King Kong turns out as well as his three Lord of the Rings movies, you can count it in as a Best Picture nominee. I should have been more optimistic. Now that I've seen it, the question is whether it can top 1997's Titanic as the highest-grossing movie of all time. The short answer is, probably not. "Titanic's" box-office performance is in an orbit of its own. It sold US$600.8mil worth of tickets at home - US$140mil more than No 2 Star Wars - and US$1.8biln worldwide, more than US$700mil better than the last Lord of the Rings episode. But Kong is the first film to come along in years with at least a shot at the No 1 spot. [More]

Hollywood star Naomi Watts and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson are to attend the UK premiere of their new film, King Kong, at the Odeon, Leicester Square. English-born Watts plays heroine Ann Darrow in the gorilla epic, set for release in the UK on December 15. Andy Serkis, who brought Gollum to the screen in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, doubled for the computerised Kong. Jack Black plays an over-zealous film director who sets sail for Skull Island to make his masterpiece about the legend of a giant gorilla, Kong. [More]

King Kong, like any good movie monster, is only as dead as long as it takes a studio to put together the next movie. The 1933 original inspired a slew of follow-ups and re-makes, all somehow dodging the fact that the giant ape fell from the Empire State Building. Kong has appeared in comic books, picture books and Saturday morning cartoons. And who could forget Homer Kong on "The Simpsons"? [More]

At the end of the original "King Kong," Carl Denham stands next to the great ape's broken body and declares that it was beauty that killed the beast. Maybe he's trying to assuage his guilt. Denham, and the modern world he represents, killed Kong. Kong isn't lured to New York by his love for Ann Darrow, the would-be starlet Denham picks off the streets to star in his new movie. He is dragged in chains from his island paradise, paraded before the ticket-buying public, then riddled with bullets. [More]

Wallis writes: Andy Serkis was on GMTV this morning (Dec 8th) talking about his role in King Kong. He mentioned how he played Kong and others facts about the new film.

HBO is airing a Kong 'First Look', from the HBO website: This featurette provides an insider's tour of Peter Jackson's spectacular version of the giant ape tale. Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody star. [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