Adrien Brody, who is currently filming his role as Jack Driscoll in Peter Jackson's upcoming King Kong remake, told SCI FI Wire that his interpretation of Driscoll differs greatly from that of Bruce Cabot, who portrayed the character in the original 1933 classic. As Driscoll, Oscar winner Brody is a former World War I fighter pilot and love interest to Kong heroine Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts). [More]

It is perhaps obligatory to open any discussion of the much-derided “Dino” remake of KING KONG (ironic tag for a film without dinosaurs) with some manner of justification and/or rationalization. The purists out there will say that De Laurentiis’s production simply doesn’t count, that it stands as a bloated 70’s-era abomination that has no business being discussed in the company of those who truly appreciate the magic and wonder of what was created back in 1933 at RKO. Dwan? Petrox Explorer? Blech. [More]

runaway blues writes: In channel4 film's final on-set exclusive, Jack Black hatches his monkey-spanking plan while Naomi Watts has a very bad day at the office. [More]

Nominees and industry heavyweights will mingle in fantastical ‘Narnia’ setting at this annual exclusive dinner in Los Angeles. Wednesday February 23, 2005, Los Angeles: A mystical theme from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe will greet guests for the fourth annual Celebration of New Zealand Filmmaking and Creative Talent dinner on Friday February 25, 2005 at The Beverly Hills Hotel. [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 weekly Kong Chat will be Thursday nights at 8:30PM Eastern Standard Time. 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
1:30AM (Friday) in Greenwich
2:30AM (Friday) (Central European Time)
9:30AM (Friday) in Hong Kong
12:30PM (Friday) in Sydney
2:30PM (Friday) in Auckland, Wellington

The folks from Howard Shore's offices send along his 2005 tour date schedule up until July. Be sure to catch this concert if you are in one of the following cities: Omaha, NE, Richmond, VA, Des Moines, IA, Fairfax, VA, Toronto, ONT, Houston, TX & Pittsburgh, PA. [More]

Nessa posted this on our message boards: written by: Gail Schiller ...'King Kong and dinosaur action figures depicting images from Peter Jackson's highly anticipated "King Kong" movie, due out in December, are on display for retailers, but press and photographers are barred from seeing them. "We have one of the most famous movies of all time and one of the premiere directors of our generation," said Beth Goss, executive vp consumer products at Universal Studios. "It's important to see it as a movie first before you see it as a toy. We let the movie lead the licensing, not the other way around."'

Adrien Brody reckons the sets on King Kong are so realistic he feels right at home. "What's wonderful about this set is the attention to detail," he said in a production video posted on the movie's website. Brody plays former World War I fighter pilot Jack Driscoll in the film. Parts of the 1930s New York set reminded Brody of the Queens neighbourhood he grew up in, he said. [More]

New to DVD today is Naomi Watts' quirky 'I Heart Huckabees'. Take a look at the following link for a review and links to buy on Amazon.com (and support KongisKing.net at the same time!) [More]

PD 97 shows us the work involved in stunt driving, how do you make sure that a vintage car (even if it is newly built) is safe? What about the camera angles and shots? What about the actors? Do you stick with stuntmen, CGI stuntmen...or stationary cars and a green screen? All these situations are discussed in great detail, with a few surprises! And I *think* we get some actual KONG rough-cut footage! [QT6 240x132px 6Mb] [QT4 320x176px 11Mb] [QT6 480x264px 14Mb] [Bit Torrents!]

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

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

Gandalf writes: The New York set was very quiet today with nobody around, presumably due to the production being between night shoots. The major changes for the set conversion mentioned in the latest Production Diary are clearly visible, notably the poles supporting the elevated tracks are back and now extend the length of 6th Ave past Herald Square (formerly 7th Ave for Times Square). You'll also spot the monument covering the old subway entrance next to the newly added staircase leading up to where a railway station should be. [More]

For five of Hollywood's top actresses — Halle Berry, 38; Julia Roberts, 37; Nicole Kidman, 37; Naomi Watts, 36; and Catherine Zeta-Jones, 35 — that number looms like a bright red stop sign. It's the age when, historically, desirable roles for women begin drying up. When good scripts stop rolling in. And when fresh-faced twenty-somethings begin to grab coveted roles. But Kidman, Roberts, Berry, Zeta-Jones and Watts — all either Oscar winners or Oscar nominees — stand a chance of beating Hollywood's odds for several reasons, experts say. [More]

From Figures.com: Revealing news at Toy Fair was the announcement that Dark Horse had signed on as the exclusive distributor of upcoming product from WETA Collectibles. Collectibles will include high-end resin pieces and prints for two major 2005 motion pictures: "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World;" the official title for Peter Jackson's remake of the 1933 classic "King Kong". [Dark Horse]

After the triumph of the Rings movies, a slimmer, trimmer Peter Jackson is king of all he surveys as he remakes King Kong in a home-grown "Wellywood". It's the two towers you notice first, poking shyly out of the trees like turrets on a secret film set. Then, as the back road winds towards the distant mountains, you finally see other signs that you have arrived at the estate Gollum built. There's the imposing brick entrance. The gatekeeper's lodge. The earth-moving machines building an ornamental lake worthy of Capability Brown. Through the trees you catch glimpses of the house itself and wonder if all the rumours can be true. Some Kiwi wags are calling it "the other Jackson's Neverland". Like his pop-singing namesake, Peter Jackson is building a home that indulges his every childhood fantasy. [More]

John writes: Here is a review of Naomi Watts' 'Ellie Parker' from Variety. It is quite a comparison--to compare Naomi's comedic talents to Lucile Ball & Carole Lombard. I imagine there will be some comic bits amidst the drama & pagent of King Kong. Todd Mccarthy was the first critic in the world to write about Naomi's talent in 'Mulholland Dr'. [More]

How do you take the massive New York set and turn it into another massive New York set without completely messing things up? Planning! PJ and his crew recently turned the Times Square set into the Heralds Square set in a matter of days, changing storefronts, stairways, marquee signs and more. Chris and Dan Hennah, Grant Major and others show us how this happened with a look back at the detailed plans that were involved. Adrien Brody gives us his point of view as to the authenticity of set, and a rain delay causes the crew to seek shelter and cut a car in half! Take a look! [QT6 240x132px 6Mb] [QT4 320x176px 12Mb] [QT6 480x264px 15Mb] [Bit Torrents!]

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

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