http://starsontop.com/kingkong/ http://starsontop.com/kingkong/ King Kong movie news, full production notes, cast and crew, pictures, movie stills, interviews, articles, downloads, posters. weekly 0 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/questions.htm Well, not too bad right now. I've just got the point, a day or two ago, where things line up for the finishing line. So, it is a little bit more straightforward right now. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/king_kong.htm Peter Jackson brings his sweeping cinematic vision to the iconic story of the gigantic ape-monster captured in the wilds and brought to civilization where he meets his tragic fate. The screenplay by Jackson, Walsh and Boyens is based on the original story by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace, which became the classic 1933 RKO Radio Pictures film, directed by adventurers Cooper and Ernest B. Schoesdack. Jackson will employ the latest motion picture technology to cinematically portray the timeless tale of the beast and his beauty. He will expand on the chapters of the tale that take place in the mysterious and dangerous jungles of Skull Island, and his Kong promises to be a unique and breathtaking creation. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production.htm King Kong Production Notes weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/cast_crew.htm King Kong Cast & Crew weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/naomi_watts.htm NAOMI WATTS (Ann Darrow) received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in Alejandro Gonzáles Iòárritu's 21 Grams, in which she starred alongside Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/jack_black.htm JACK BLACK (Carl Denham) has appeared in many motion pictures, but it was his scene-stealing performance as John Cusack's sarcastic music store employee in Stephen Frears' critically acclaimed comedy High Fidelity that cemented his place in the hearts of audiences. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/adrien_brody.htm ADRIEN BRODY (Jack Driscoll) has made an indelible impression on Hollywood. His Oscar win for his performance in Roman Polanski's The Pianist made him the youngest person to win a Best Actor award. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/andy_serkis.htm ANDY SERKIS' (Kong / Lumpy the Cook) most memorable and critically acclaimed role was as Gollum in all three The Lord of the Rings films. Serkis was also recently seen opposite Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo in 13 Going on 30, directed by Gary Winick. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/other_cast.htm THOMAS KRETSCHMANN (Captain Englehorn) also starred opposite Adrien Brody in the Oscar-winning film The Pianist. He can also be seen in Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story in the lead role based on a true character so deeply disturbed his only hope for love is to eat another human being; and in Have No Fear: The Life of Pope John Paul II, in which he played the Pope from his early years in the theatre to his quick ascent within the European clergy to become the most influential pope of the 20th century. The versatile actor can also be seen in the upcoming film version of the best-selling book The Celestine Prophecy. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/peter_jackson.htm PETER JACKSON (Director / Screenplay by / Produced by) made history with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, becoming the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/fran_walsh.htm FRAN WALSH (Screenplay by / Produced by) has received numerous nominations from around the globe for co-writing and producing The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, but it is her work on The Return of the King, the final film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, that has been most celebrated. Walsh shared writing, producing and songwriting credits on The Return of the King, for which she garnered three Academy Awards, three BAFTAs, two Golden Globes and a Producers Guild Award. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/philippa_boyens.htm PHILIPPA BOYENS (Screenplay by / Co-Producer)-who made her debut as a screenwriter with The Lord of the Rings trilogy-has won (along with co-writers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh) an Oscar® and a BAFTA and has been nominated for two Writers Guild of America Awards, among others. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/box_office_report.htm "King Kong" was less of a box-office brute than Hollywood expected, taking in $50.15 million in its first weekend, a sturdy start but unremarkable by Hollywood blockbuster standards. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/naomi_interview3.htm Naomi Watts - dressed from tip to toe in Armani, wearing the designer's stylish dark blue dress and chic shoes - looks as though she's ready to step on to the catwalk. The reality though is that the star would rather curl back into the comfort of her bed. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/articles.htm King Kong Articles & Interviews weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/diaries.htm King Kong is about to die. Shoulders hunched, the great ape is perched atop the Empire State Building, 1,200 feet above Fifth Avenue. At that height, the skies are empty but for two Curtis Helldiver biplanes that swoop through the clouds. The planes arc toward Kong and strafe the beast with bullets, their silhouettes black against the Gotham sky. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/gorilla.htm The art direction team, led by Oscar-winner Grant Major, began designing King Kong with sketch pads and laptops. But eventually, somebody had to wield a blowtorch. To craft the SS Venture, the tramp steamer that transports Kong from Skull Island to New York, the design crew converted a 1956 Dutch coaster, straightening her bow and altering her top decks. This ship, shown here in Wellington harbor, was actually one of four Ventures used in the movie: There were also two miniatures and, since Peter Jackson gets seasick, a full-size set built on the studio parking lot. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/naomi_interview1.htm I'm filming there right now in Beijing. I am doing a movie called The Painted Veil which is a Somerset Maugham story. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/naomi_interview2.htm I did a little bit; I've always been a fan of primates. Actually a long time ago, I had a boyfriend who asked what I wanted to do for my birthday - and I said I wanted to go and see the monkeys at the zoo. I like monkeys, gorillas everything. I like watching them and it is uncanny how close they are to us. There is very little that separates us. I had a bit of interest in them, which was coincidental, it wasn't like I was seeking out King Kong. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/firstlook.htm Like any classic film worth its salt, the original 1933 "King Kong" has its little unsolved mysteries. Most notorious is the missing spider-pit sequence. Co-directors Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack's first cut of "Kong" featured a scene on Skull Island—the famous ape's jungle pied-a-terror—in which several men tumble into a chasm and get devoured by giant arachnids. It was screened for an audience only once. Cooper later said that he dropped the scene for "pacing" reasons; no one crucial to the plot falls into the pit and the directors wanted to get on with his story. According to legend, though, there was another reason: the scene made several people barf. In any case, Cooper dumped it, and no one has seen it since. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/andy_interview.htm I do feel like the digital realm is expanding in film, definitely. It's been fascinating, and I suppose the single most important change from Gollum to Kong, in terms of the technical stuff, was the use of facial motion capture. And, I suppose, more importantly, the character we were just about to create. Pete [Jackson] had a strong idea about the character of Kong, but in the same way that Gollum was developed, we didn't really start finding it until the motion capture phase, which is after principle photography. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/premiere.htm One of New York's most famous visitors - he memorably climbed, and fell from, the Empire State Building in 1933 - returned to the city on Monday. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/ny_premiere.htm The world premiere of Peter Jackson's eagerly-awaited King Kong remake has taken place in New York. Jackson and stars Adrien Brody, Jack Black, Naomi Watts and Andy Serkis attended the event, while a 20ft King Kong model dominated Times Square. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/town.htm Director Peter Jackson says he has fulfilled a childhood dream by remaking King Kong. Jackson, who directed The Lord of the Rings trilogy, said the 1933 original had inspired his interest in film-making at the tender age of nine. weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/posterstore.htm King Kong Virtual Poster Store. King Kong has always been lucky at box office. In its first weekend in 1933, the film took $90.000, the biggest opening of its era. It Went on to generate $1.7 million - more than double its cost weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/americana.htm Americana Posters weekly 1 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/index.htm King Kong movie news, full production notes, cast and crew, pictures, movie stills, interviews, articles, downloads, posters. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/other_crew.htm ANDREW LESNIE, ACS, ASC (Director of Photography) won an Academy Award® for his work on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; he was also nominated for the American Society of Cinematographers Award and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Cinematography Award, along with numerous other awards and accolades. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics.htm King Kong Picture Galleries weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/ King Kong Production Notes weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/profile.htm King Kong Production Notes - Movie Profile, Cast & Crew weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/synopsis.htm Peter Jackson brings his sweeping cinematic vision to the iconic story of the gigantic ape-monster captured in the wilds and brought to civilization where he meets his tragic fate. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_03.htm Triple Academy Award winner Peter Jackson, whose The Lord of the Rings trilogy made motion picture history, now brings his sweeping cinematic vision to one of the screen's most enduring classics and one of the greatest filmic adventures of all time: King Kong. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_04.htm It is 1933, and vaudeville actress Ann Darrow (Oscar nominee for 21 Grams, Naomi Watts) has found herself-like so many other New Yorkers during the Great Depression-without the means to earn a living. Unwilling to compromise and allow herself to sink into a career in burlesque, she considers her limited options while aimlessly wandering the streets of Manhattan. When her hunger drives her to unsuccessfully try to steal an apple from a fruit vendor's stall, she is rescued-literally-by filmmaker and multiple hyphenate Carl Denham (Jack Black of The School of Rock). weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_05.htm For a young New Zealand boy named Peter Jackson, the viewing of a 1930s black-and-white film one Friday night was more than just an evening's diversion-it quite literally became a life-changing event. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_06.htm Jackson's decision to keep the tale in its original time and setting-the Depression Era of 1933-was a simple one, based on two deciding factors: weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_07.htm This world of 1933 New York is also of significance to the central female character of the story, Ann Darrow. As an actress in vaudeville, Ann earns a living by entertaining, by making people laugh-in songs, skits and with physical humor. Though her onstage persona is a happy one, her life away from the theater is hardly lighthearted. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_08.htm If Ann Darrow is best remembered as the beauty of the story, then it is Carl Denham who must be classified as the brains behind the scheme that drives the events of King Kong. Whereas filmmakers chose to flesh out Darrow more than reinvent her, they were committed to finding a different take on the character of the flamboyant showman and auteur. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_09.htm Jackson, Walsh and Boyens went even further afield with their take on the character of Jack Driscoll (who in the 1933 version is the rough-and-tumble first mate to the captain of the Venture). weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_10.htm As the captain of the Venture-which takes the leading lady, the director, the playwright and the crew to the lost world of Skull Island-the filmmakers chose accomplished German actor Thomas Kretschmann, who had also starred with Brody in The Pianist. Captain Englehorn has made a living piloting the rusting vessel around the globe, capturing exotic wildlife and peddling the caged animals to zoos and other not-quite-above-board business enterprises. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_11.htm Getting to the particular Kong at the center of Jackson's remake was of paramount concern to filmmakers, and all involved had very strong ideas about how this Kong would be brought to the screen. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_12.htm There was never any question what process would lead to the creation of Kong-he was always meant to be a wholly computer-generated creation. Yet after the groundbreaking, combined use of computer generation and motion capture (mo-cap) that led to The Lord of the Rings character Gollum, Jackson and his team began to explore a more advanced method of fashioning the Eighth Wonder of the World… and it would all begin with the involvement of the same actor who rendered Gollum such a mercurial, compelling and even (at times) sympathetic character: Andy Serkis. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_13.htm For Jackson and the majority of his New Zealand-based team, shifting into “Kong mode” was a continuation of the intensive work to which they had long been accustomed-the finished King Kong would feature more total effects work than the entire Rings trilogy combined. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_14.htm The same philosophy of stylization and evolution-run-amok was applied to the fauna that inhabit Skull Island. Jackson was specific in his vision that included “just kind of cool-looking” dinosaurs… ones that differ from the currently accepted paleontological research of how these creatures probably looked. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_15.htm To create the frightening, primitive tribe on the Island, 100 actors were transformed into Skull Islanders by donning Weta-designed costumes (constructed from sea shells, feathers, fish and animal bones and human hair), wigs (a portion of which were hand-knotted), makeup, body paint, prosthetic teeth and weapons. While of the same tribe, different looks were created by varying the weapons, wigs and contact lenses. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_16.htm The creation of that icon posed special challenges to Weta Digital. As a leading actor in the story, the great ape's believability would be paramount-a tough call for any performer, let alone an entirely digital invention. Key to that was the creation of a Kong that could nail the performance, non-verbally communicating a full range of emotions and thoughts. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_17.htm Much as in the creation of Skull Island, it would need a team of accomplished artists to produce the other major setting (and one no less legendary) of King Kong: the New York City of 1933. Taking the advanced computer technology developed for The Lord of the Rings to the next level, digital artists were able to turn back the clock and literally rebuild a city that no longer exists. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_18.htm Even with all of the digital wizardry of Skull Island and 1933 New York, practical sets still had to be constructed to provide real-world filming spaces for the actors, filmmakers and crew. weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/king_kong_notes_19.htm Peter Jackson's 35-year journey to remake King Kong has neared its end. The boy who dreamed of a fantasy world with glamorous actresses, giant apes and faraway adventure has become the director who created such a reality. Yet after all of his efforts-and the innumerable time and contributions of his filmmakers, cast and crew-his goal is a simple one: weekly 2 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/ King Kong Picture Galleries weekly 3 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/production_notes/index.htm King Kong Production Notes weekly 3 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_01.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 01 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_02.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 02 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_03.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 03 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_04.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 04 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_05.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 05 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_06.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 06 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_07.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 07 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_08.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 08 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_09.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 09 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_10.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 10 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_11.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 11 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_12.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 12 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_13.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 13 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_14.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 14 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_15.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 15 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_16.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 16 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_17.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 17 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_18.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 18 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_19.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 19 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_20.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 20 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_21.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 21 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_22.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 22 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_23.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 23 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_24.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 24 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_25.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 25 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_26.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 26 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_27.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 27 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_28.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 28 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_29.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 29 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_30.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 30 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_31.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 31 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_32.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 32 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_33.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 33 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_34.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 34 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_35.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 35 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_36.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 36 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_37.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 37 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_38.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 38 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_39.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 39 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_40.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 40 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_41.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 41 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_42.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 42 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_43.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 43 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_44.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 44 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_45.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 45 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_46.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 46 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_47.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 47 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/king_kong_pictures_48.htm King Kong Picture Gallery 48 weekly 4 sitemap http://starsontop.com/kingkong/pics/index.htm King Kong Picture Galleries weekly 5 sitemap