News for Jan. 17, 2005

Jackson: Remaking 'King Kong' Is a Dream

1/17/05, 10:11 pm EST - Xoanon

LOS ANGELES - Director Peter Jackson's first attempt to remake "King Kong" featured an Empire State Building constructed out of cardboard and a Manhattan skyline painted on an old bedsheet. It was an amateur effort, but Jackson was only 13 at the time. He has a bigger budget now, at 43. Jackson, who directed "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, said remaking "King Kong" has been a lifelong obsession. The $150 million remake now in production is a respectful tribute to the 1933 original. Jackson approached Fay Wray, who played Ann in the first film, about making a cameo, but she died before it was possible. [More]