Get ready to see a new phase of the mythical creature King Kong on Disney+. News is that James Wan is producing a brand-new King Kong series for Disney+. According to the sources, the series is already under development, so we expect it to hit screens soon.
King Kong, as we all know, is an iconic figure across the cinema. Merian C. Cooper introduced this fictional entity in a 1933 movie, which became a landmark achievement in film history. Cooper initially tried to claim the character as his intellectual property. But it was not until 1976 that the judges gave the rights of this mighty apish character to Cooper’s estate. King Kong and its sequel, Son of Kong, were released in the same year, i-e, 1933.
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Since then, filmmakers have created many movies around King Kong, from the first remake in 1976 to Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake. In addition, legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse and Warner Bros. have recently used Kong in their film series. The big player made appearances in Kong: Skull Island (2017) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). The latter was one of the major movie releases following the COVID-19 pandemic. All in all, when it comes to marketability, King Kong is now bigger than ever before. So, we can say that James has chosen just the right time to make the most out of Kong’s Character.
According to Deadline, the King Kong series is currently in the early development stage at Disney+. The director, James Wan, is known for his hit projects like Aquaman. Stephanie Folsom, Paper Girls’ original showrunner, is penning down the series’ storyline. The series will belong to the action/adventure drama genre, presenting King Kong in the modern age. The series is set to explore Kong’s origin and mythology along with Skull Island and other supernatural elements around the character. Artist Joe DeVito and Merian C. Cooper Estate are collaborating on the source material, producing new novelizations. Note that the project is no more connected to the MonsterVerse, unlike the planned Godzilla series at Apple TV+.
Another report says that Netflix is still developing an animated series around Skull Island which will be linked to the MonsterVerse. We don’t know if Kong will be a part of that series. However, MonsterVerse is again bringing Kong to big screens in the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel. The sequel is set for release in March 2024, starring Dan Stevens, Kurt Russell, and Wyatt Russell.
There was a previous attempt to make a live-action Kong series following Skull Island in 2017. Unfortunately, it never saw the daylight. We can assume that the same project has now morphed into the current one on Disney+.
Note that various individuals have split rights for King Kong’s character and film. It allows filmmakers to simultaneously create multiple iterations of the character on the screen. So, we are eager to see how Disney+ will approach Kong and Skull Island. All we can say is that King Kong will provide Disney+ with another big marquee to draw in massive audiences.
