Special Effects
EYETECH Optics (special effects)
Weta Digital Ltd. (digital special effects)
Weta Workshop Ltd. (physical special effects)

Other Companies
Playmates Toys ... master toy license

Taglines
The eighth wonder of the world.

Plot Summary
Set in the 1930s, this is the story of a group of explorers and documentary filmmakers who travel to the mysterious Skull Island (near Sumatra) to investigate legends of a giant gorilla named Kong. Once there, they discover that King Kong is a real creature, living in a massive jungle where creatures from prehistoric times have been protected and hidden for millions of years. As the explorers search for the great ape, their quest puts them up against both Kong and his dinosaur enemies. Ultimately, it is the attention of a beautiful human woman that soothes Kong long enough for him to be subdued by the explorers and shipped back to New York, where his bleak future involves being put on display in front of humans... but how long can even the mightiest shackles of man hold back an ape 25 feet tall?

RTL obtains 'Kong' rights via NBC Uni
HAMBURG, Germany -- Leading German commercial channel RTL said Wednesday that it has inked a package deal with NBC Universal that will give it exclusive free-TV rights in Germany to Peter Jackson's upcoming King Kong as well as 2004's Van Helsing. The deal, which incoming RTL chief executive Anke Schaeferkordt announced at RTL's annual programming news conference in Hamburg, also includes first-run rights to such Universal titles as Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Along Came Polly and Love Actually, as well as rerun rights to such films as The Mummy and Mercury Rising.

Asian markets feel b.o.'s pain
SYDNEY -- Can an 800-pound gorilla restore the ailing Asian boxoffice? For 2005, ticket sales are down 5%-15% year over year across all key Asian markets, and industry participants say it's the December release of Universal's King Kong, from director Peter Jackson, that is the kind of potentially monstrous hit film needed to break the drought. " 'King Kong' is the key," said Mike Selwyn, United International Pictures' supervisor for Australia/New Zealand, where boxoffice for the first half is down year over year by about 14% and 13%, respectively, according to each country's Motion Picture Distributors' Assn. "We need a standout title. If 'King Kong' makes anything approaching Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it could provide a huge surge for the end of year." Added Kurt Rieder, UIP's Asian supervisor: "Sure, there will be the next 'Harry Potter' film and Chronicles of Narnia later this year, but everyone knows to some extent what they can expect from these kind of films. 'King Kong' is a wild card." The reality is that 2005 is becoming a difficult year at the Asian boxoffice, with distributors saying many major releases are not meeting expectations, echoing the lament of their European counterparts (HR 7/12).

Exhibitors Predict 2005 Will Beat 2004
Not only are movie exhibitors confident that the box-office slump is over, but some are now predicting that a strong fourth quarter will put the year's receipts ahead of 2004's. In interviews with Reuters, the exhibitors indicated that they have strong hopes for King Kong, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc., told the wire service: "It looks very, very good for the end of the year but again we have a lot of ground to make up." Thus far this year, the box office is down 7 percent from last year.

Major tapped production designer of year
Academy Award-winning production designer Grant Major, whose work will be seen later this year in Universal Pictures' King Kong, will receive the Hollywood Film Festival's Hollywood Production Designer of the Year Award. Major was selected for his "distinguished body of work" by a recommendation of the Council of the Art Directors Guild (ADG). Major won an Oscar in 2004 for his work in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. He was also nominated for two additional Oscars for 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and 2002's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The award will be presented at the Hollywood Film Festival's October 24 awards ceremony.

A New Look for Peter Jackson
Lord Of The Rings movie maker Peter Jackson has shed 70 pounds of his bulk working on new movie King Kong. The heavyweight director credits a healthier fruit and yogurt diet for his new slim look. He says, "It was all the catering for five years on Lord of The Rings." Jackson has also undergone laser eye surgery so he can ditch his famous spectacles: "I just got tired of being outside with rain and dust on the glasses."

Universal & NBC Combine for Big 'King Kong' Push
It may be six months before Universal's King Kong opens on December 14, 2005 but, in an unprecedented act of cross-platform marketing, the studio will be joining up with its NBC broadcast and cable siblings for the premiere of its first trailer for the movie on Monday June 27. From 8:59:30 to 9:02 p.m. the NBC broadcast network, as well as the Sci Fi, USA Network, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, Mun2 and Universal HD cable networks will simultaneously air the trailer. NBC Universal estimates that it will reach 109 million viewers. The trailer will also be shown on the Jumbotron screens in Times Square and at the Universal CityWalk attractions in Orlando, FL and Universal City, CA. The trailer will move into theaters on June 29.

N.Z. 'Creature' emerges at Fox
20th Century Fox is set to acquire Glenn Standring's edgy vampire film Perfect Creature, sources close to the deal confirmed Thursday. The deal is not only the largest sale ever made of a New Zealand film but also marks the first time a U.S. studio has acquired a picture from the compact market. With the country on a roll from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the worldwide success of Niki Caro's Whale Rider and Jackson's highly anticipated adaptation of King Kong due at Christmas, Perfect Creature looks to be the country's next highly commercial international release.

New soundstage added to Jackson's N.Z. empire
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- New Zealand's biggest international soundstage was officially opened Wednesday by Prime Minister Helen Clark. The NZ$10 million ($7.2 million), 24,500 square foot facility is the newest addition to Peter Jackson's Camperdown Studios complex in Wellington and is where he has just wrapped King Kong. Camperdown is co-owned by Jackson's fellow Oscar-winners for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Richard Taylor and Jamie Selkirk.

Jackson Praises Computer Wizardry
Maverick director Peter Jackson is excited to be making movies at a time when digital imaging technology makes everything possible, because filmmakers are being forced to improve scripts and characterization. The King Kong filmmaker believes directors had to invest too much of their time in special effects in the past, but the rise of computer technology now allows them to return to basics. He enthuses, "There is literally nothing the human mind can imagine which cannot be realistically created on film. There used to be so many limits to what you could do in terms of visual effects, but now you can create anything you want on a computer. It's a good thing because it means it's now important to go back to the story and the characters. The onus is back on filmmakers, directors and writers to actually entertain people."

Monkeyshine: 'King Kong' sequels a joke
Peter Jackson said Friday that he will be making two back-to-back sequels to King Kong for Universal Pictures. But it was all part of an elaborate April Fool's Day joke. Jackson made the announcement for Son of Kong and King Kong: Into the Wolf's Lair as part of the movie's video diary series on the Web site www.kongisking.net. Jackson wasn't the only one who appeared onscreen in the April 1 entry, which marked shooting day 123 on King Kong. Movie castmembers Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Colin Hanks as well as Weta staff, art directors and even a Universal exec were involved. The video entry featured shots of a Son of Kong script, monster designs, models and computer previsualized sequences.

Stars Go Bananas As 'King Kong' Wrap Raises the Roof
Director Peter Jackson celebrated wrapping up filming his stunning version of King Kong with a spectacular party, complete with an endless supply of bananas. The glittering bash took place on a back lot set designed to replicate 1930s New York, and was described by a partygoer as a "proper carnival" to reward his cast and crew for all their hard work. Publicist Melissa Booth says, "Everyone involved in the movie - from Hollywood stars to construction staff - was invited." The Lord Of The Rings film-maker ensured that even children were catered for, with giant fairy tale characters, a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round open to all. The $145 million remake of the 1933 classic is set for release this winter and stars Naomi Watts, Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and funnyman Jack Black.

'King Kong' Filming Complete
Peter Jackson has marked the end of live shooting of his King Kong remake with a lavish wrap party in Sea View, New Zealand, near Wellington. According to local reports, Jackson spared no expense for the party, staged on the movie's New York set, erecting elaborate carnival rides, including a ferris wheel and merry-go-round, flying in hot dogs and hamburgers from the U.S., and assembling a number of local bands to entertain the film's office staff, crew and actors. The New Zealand Press Association quoted one attendee as saying, "It was absolutely amazing. ... It's just the way Pete does things -- puts on a huge party like this because everyone works so hard and sweats blood on the film."

Directed by
Peter Jackson

Writers
Story
Merian C. Cooper and
Edgar Wallace
Screenplay
Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens

Producers
Jan Blenkin ... producer
Carolynne Cunningham ... producer
Peter Jackson ... producer
Fran Walsh ... producer

Cast - in credits order
Naomi Watts ... Ann Darrow
Jack Black ... Carl Denham
Adrien Brody ... Jack Driscoll
Andy Serkis ... King Kong/Lumpy the Cook
Jamie Bell ... Jimmy
Kyle Chandler ... Bruce Baxter
Lobo Chan ... Choy
Thomas Kretschmann ... Captain Englehorn
Evan Parke ... Hayes
Colin Hanks ... Preston
John Sumner ... Herb
David Dengelo ... Venture Crew
Stephen Hall ... Venture Crew
Richard Kavanagh ... Venture Crew
Louis Sutherland ... Venture Crew
Ray Woolf ... Helmsman
Geraldine Brophy
Joe Folau
John Clarke
William Wallace
Other credited cast listed alphabetically
Lorraine Ashbourne ... Actress in Jack Driscoll's play
Jarl Benzon ... New Yorker
T.M. Bishop ... V.I.P
Jed Brophy ... Key Venture Crew
Craig Hall ... Mike
Sandro Kopp ... New Yorker
Pip Mushin
Troy O'Kane ... Venture Crew
Todd Rippon ... Key Venture Crew
Crawford Thomson ... Venture Crew
Jason Whyte ... Key Venture Crew

Original Music
Howard Shore

Cinematographers
Andrew Lesnie

Editors
Jamie Selkirk

Casting Directors
Victoria Burrows
Daniel Hubbard
John Hubbard
Liz Mullane

Production Designers
Grant Major

Art Directors
Simon Bright
Dan Hennah

Set Decorators
Dan Hennah

Costume Designers
Terry Ryan

Make Up Department
Corinne Bossu ... makeup artist
Rick Findlater ... makeup supervisor
Angela Mooar ... hair stylist & makeup artist

Production Managers
Anne Bruning ... unit production manager
Belindalee Hope ... production manager
Brigitte Yorke ... production manager

Second Unit Directors or Assistant Directors
Marc Ashton ... key second assistant director
Randy Cook¹ ... second unit director
Carolynne Cunningham ... first assistant director
Sarah Lowe ... second assistant director: second unit
Darren Mackie ... assistant director
Skot Thomas ... second second assistant director

Art Department
Miriam Bellard ... draughtsperson
Kristie Breslin ... art department co-ordinator
Tony Drawbridge ... props maker
Simon Hames ... props maker
Dan Hennah ... supervising art director
Alan Lee ... conceptual designer
Tristan McCallum ... props
Andy McLaren ... set dresser
Ben Milsom ... standby props
Matt Panzera ... painter
Brent Tasker ... standby greens
Richard Taylor ... WETA workshop supervisor
Sarah Weinberg ... assistant standby props

Sound Department
Corrin Ellingford ... boom operator
David Farmer ... sound designer
Mike Hopkins ... supervising sound editor
Hammond Peek ... sound recordist
Ken Saville ... sound recordist: second unit
Ethan Van der Ryn ... sound designer
Ethan Van der Ryn ... supervising sound editor

Special Effects Department
Kevin McTurk ... special effects makeup
Gayle Munro ... production manager: Weta Workshop

Visual Effects Department
Christine Arboit ... creature technical director
Elisabeth Arko ... senior animator
Dan Ashton ... scanning and recording technician: Weta Digital
Michael Bain ... match mover: Weta Digital
Michael Bain ... modeller: Weta Digital
Paula Bell ... senior digital artist
Jeremy Bennett ... visual effects
John-Michael Bills ... digital artist
Colette Birrell ... 3D lighting department coordinator: Weta Digital
Jeremy Bolan ... character animator: Weta Digital
Anto Bond ... digital modeler: Weta Digital
Nick Booth ... scanning and recording supervisor: Weta Digital
Adam Bradley ... digital artist
Matthew Bullock ... modeler
Greg Butler ... CGI supervisor: pre-production
Andrew Camenisch ... lead modeler
Dave Cardwell ... senior modeler
Ean Carr ... digital compositor
Norman Cates ... digital compositor
David Cole ... lead digital colourist
David Cole ... supervising digital colourist
Michael Corcoran ... creature technical director
Christine Cram ... digital painter
Doug Cram ... digital artist
Frédéric Côté ... character animator
Peter Demarest ... digital artist
Marco Di Lucca ... digital modeller
Gareth Dinneen ... digital compositor
Brett Dix ... digital compositor
Emanuel 'Emey' Druckmann ... creature technical director
Shawn Dunn ... animation technical supervisor
Frank Dürschinger ... lighting technical director
Florian Fernandez ... senior modeler: Weta Digital
Alex Funke ... visual effects director of photography
Paul Griffin ... animation previsualization
David 'Rudy' Grossman ... lead creature technical director
Keith Hamakawa ... production manager: research & development, Weta Digital
David Hampton ... scanning and recording technician: Weta Digital
Dietrich Hasse ... lead animator: Weta Digital
Trevor Hazel ... digital paint and rotoscope artist
Allen Hemberger ... technical director
Christian Hipp ... lighting technical director
Tom Holzinger ... senior motion editor
Richard Hopkins ... match mover
Steven Hornby ... senior animator
Sandy Houston ... roto and paint co-supervisor
Victor Huang ... animator
James Jacobs ... creature technical director: Weta Digital
Paul Jenness ... CG modeler: Weta Digital
Mia Jewett ... digital modeler
Lars Johansson ... character technical director
Ruslanova Katya ... digital artist: Weta Digital
Scott Kilburn ... sequence lead: Weta Digital
Andrew Kunzel ... digital modeler
Douglas Larmour ... digital compositor
Kimberly Lashbrook ... digital compositor
Dan Lemmon ... CGI supervisor
Michael Leonard ... character animator: Weta Digital
Joe Letteri ... visual effects supervisor
Mark Tait Lewis ... digital sequence supervisor
Staffan Linder ... character animator: Weta Digital
Florian Linner ... creature technical director
Robyn Luckham ... animator
Tibor Madjar ... lead modeler: Weta Digital LTD
Ray Massa ... data tracker
Timothy McCallum ... creature technical director
Simon Millanta ... modeller
Keith Miller ... technical director: Weta Digital
Seth F. Miller ... roto/paint artist
Ben Milsom ... lead model maker
Saki Mitchell ... senior compositor
Chad Moffitt ... senior animator
Matt Mueller ... camera department senior technical director: Weta Digital
Dylan Neill ... technical director: weta digital
James Ogle ... digital modeler
David A. Ostler ... CG modeler: Weta Digital
Helen Paul ... digital compositor
Dana Peters ... creatures supervisor
Hank Prins ... motion control operator
Pascal Raimbault ... digital modeler: Weta Digital
Richard Raimbault ... digital modeller: Weta Digital
Troy Ramsey ... digital artist
Marco Revelant ... lead modeler: Weta Digital
Diego Riestra ... motion editor
Becky Roberts ... visual effects coordinator
Kevin Romond ... digital effects artist
Frank Rueter ... lead compositor
Mark Sagar ... special projects supervisor
Eric Saindon ... CGI supervisor
Christoph Salzmann ... digital compositor
Michael Sarkis ... camera tracker
Jennifer Lee Scheer ... digital effects artist
Hamish Schumacher ... senior paint artist: weta digital
Glen Sharah ... lighting technical director
Roger Shortt ... shots technical director: Weta Digital
Cameron Smith ... digital compositor
Hugh Smith ... motion control operator: miniature unit
Cameron Smither ... digital artist
Ben Snow ... digital effects supervisor
John Sore ... animator: Weta Digital
Albrecht Steinmetz ... camera technical director
Albrecht Steinmetz ... motion editor
Ileana Stravoskiadi ... modeler
Åsa Svedberg ... texture painter: Weta Digital
Peter Syomka ... CG modeler: Weta Digital
Gaku Tada ... digital effects artist
Chu Tang ... shader writer
Eric Tang ... lead creature technical director
Hanzhi Tang ... lighting technical director: Weta Digital
Sandy Taylor ... assistant technical director
Andrew Titcomb ... lighting technical director
Ben Toogood ... lighting technical director
Stefano Trivelli ... compositor: Weta Digital
Can Tuncer ... digital modeler: Weta Digital
Jeff Unay ... digital modeler: Weta Digital
Kara Vandeleur ... texture painter
Jon Veal ... digital artist
Matt Villa ... visual effects editor
Andres Vitale ... visual effects
Matt Wallin ... digital compositor
Nancey S. Wallis ... technical director: Weta Digital
Christian Wieser ... digital compositor
Guy Williams ... CGI supervisor
Pete Williams ... digital imaging manager: Weta Digital
Erik Winquist ... 2D sequence supervisor
Marvyn Young ... sequence manager
Johan Åberg ... digital compositor

Stunts
Matt Bennett ... stunts
Jonathan Costelloe ... stunt performer
Shane Dawson ... stunt coordinator
Kirk Maxwell ... stunt coordinator
Sharon Maxwell ... stunt performer
Sharon James¹ ... stunts
Tim Wong ... stunt performer

Miscellaneous Crew
Guy Adan ... publicist
Judy Alley ... asset manager: merchandising
Alan Baird-Smith ... lighting electrician
Colette Birrell ... cast coordinator
David Birrell ... first assistant editor
Alexandra Bishop ... clapper loader: second unit
Tanya Blumstein ... dialogue coach
Melissa Booth ... unit publicist
David Brown ... chief rigging gaffer
Andy Buckley ... medic
Joel Champagne ... casting intern
Olly Coleman ... key grip
Jared Connon ... location manager
Matthew Dravitzki ... assistant: Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh
Sally Eccleston ... first assistant camera: "b" camera
Richard Elworthy ... clapper loader
Jessica A. Gihon ... accountant: art department
Thea Govorko ... assistant to producer
Simon Harding ... camera operator
Mark Hawthorne ... assistant editor
Kelly Valentine Hendry ... casting assistant: UK
Elizabeth Himelstein ... on set dialect coach
Shara Hudson ... post-production coordinator
Regan Jones ... best boy lighting
Rob Kerr ... gaffer
Mike Knudson ... focus puller
René Kuys ... information technology
Veronique Lawrence ... script supervisor
Keri Manuel ... lighting assistant
Shona McCullagh ... choreographer
Arwen Munro ... production coordinator
Jabez Olssen ... additional editor
Jacqui Pryor ... on-set production assistant
Philippa Race ... assistant accountant
Noor Razzak ... grip
Bob Roath ... financial controller
Bob Roath ... production controller
Kristen Crabtree Roath ... assistant accountant
Jay Roberts ... post-production accountant
Merrin Ruck ... script supervisor
Paul Sawtell ... assistant grip
Harry Slowery ... first assistant camera
Peter Smith ... best boy grip
Philip A.T. Smith ... second assistant camera
Andrew Stroud ... first assistant camera: second unit
Victoria Sullivan ... script supervisor
Pierre Vinet ... still photographer
Michael Vivian ... dolly grip
Angela Waller ... production coordinator: second unit

Trivia
Peter Jackson was paid $20 million to direct this film, the highest salary ever paid to a film director in advance of production.

On April Fools Day 2005, Peter Jackson posted an elaborate practical joke, where he posted a web diary on www.kongisking.net. He "revealed" that they were already starting production on "King Kong: Son Of Kong" and "King Kong: Into the Wolf's Lair". Both films, supposedly to be released in 2006, contained the principal characters riding Son of Kong, strapping machine guns to his back and fighting Hitler's genetically mutated creatures. The film was going to be produced under the banner of "Big Primate Productions". Peter Jackson has been known to pull pranks of this sort before, see Forgotten Silver.

Peter Jackson originally wanted to make this film immediately after The Frighteners. When the rights got tied up, he moved on to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, using the ghost effects he developed for King Kong. After the tremendous success of the trilogy, Jackson was finally able to make the film.

Alex Norton was offered a role but had to pass because the dates clashed with a TV project.

Sylvester McCoy screentested for a role.

Fay Wray was in negotiations to appear in the film, before she died. Peter Jackson wanted her to deliver the legendary last line: "Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast."

In at least one scene that takes place in a diner, Naomi Watts wears a hat that is Peter Jackson's tribute to Fay Wray's hat in the original King Kong.

The two original models of the carnivorous Brontosaurus from the original 1933 movie were used for reference in creating a creature for a similar dinosaur sequence in this movie.

During production, Peter Jackson hosted a video production diary, made specifically for the fan website, kongisking.net. Diary "entries", posted every 2-3 days, were filmed by staff members of the website and gave an exclusive look at the production of the film, with other cast and crew members often acting as "guides". Eventually visitors to the website were invited to email in questions to potentially be answered in future videos.

The studio in Wellington, New Zealand was located very close to the local airport, so planes flying overhead often posted problems while shooting outside on the backlot.

The film is appropriately set in 1933, the same year the original film was released.

Andy Serkis studied gorillas in Africa in preparation for his performance as King Kong (which is to be done in the same style that was used for him to play Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" movies).

Adrien Brody did his own stunt driving.

The tyrannosaurus has hands with three fingers (instead of the scientifically correct two) as an homage to the original King Kong in which the tyrannosaurus also had an extra digit, and is explained by the idea that the dinosaurs on Skull Island have evolved in the 65 million years since the two-fingered tyrannosaurus went extinct elsewhere in the world.

Many shots, including Ann stealing an apple and Denhem directing Ann to scream at an unseen danger off-camera, are taken directly from the original King Kong.

Skull Island jungle scenes were originally planned to be filmed in southern Thailand in January 2005. However, as a result of the December 26 tsunami that devastated much of the region, the planned jungle scenes were filmed in New Zealand.

Contains approximately 800 miniature shots.

Adrien Brody was the first and only choice for hero Jack Driscoll. While Brody was under the impression that he was competing with other actors for the role, he was quickly informed by the producers that they were only interested in him.