Though Kong lay dormant in the bowels of Hollywood for almost a decade – the last time cinema’s great ape swung onto the silver screen, Peter Jackson was behind the lens – Legendary resurrected the beast in truly epic fashion thanks to last month’s Kong: Skull Island.
A global box office haul of $553 million was enough for Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ to be considered a bankable success, thereby setting up the next entry in Legendary’s MonsterVerse – namely Godzilla: King of the Monsters – quite nicely. Kong is king once more, it seems, and MarVista Entertainment and IM Global Television are the latest parties ready to spin out their own story revolving around the iconic simian.
Deadline brings word today that both studios have struck an alliance to engineer a King Kong TV series based on some of the more classic tales featuring the great ape. Tentatively titled King Kong Skull Island, Jonathan Penner and Stacy Title (The Bye Bye Man) have turned in a screenplay, with the exciting elevator pitch revealing a “serialized, contemporary continuation of the classic with a female-led, multi-cultural ensemble that delves fully into the wonders and horrors of Skull Island and its origins.”
Fernando Szew, CEO of MarVista, released the following statement regarding today’s announcement: “Jonathan and Stacy have taken a world that has enraptured audiences in all its many forms over the years and given it a contemporary, female-focused spin.”
The exact story details of King Kong Skull Island are still being kept under lock and key – ditto for any mention of potential cast members – but we’ll keep you posted nevertheless. Skull Island, meanwhile, is still playing in select theaters and effectively laid the groundwork for Gojira’s return in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Expect that one to stomp into theaters on March 22nd, 2019.
