Even though Godzilla would probably tower over him, poor King Kong might have to face him anyway. Legendary Pictures has decided to take Kong and their upcoming King Kong prequel to Warner Bros. so the two historic monsters can have another fight on the big screen.
Even though Legendary broke off its deal with Warner Bros. two years ago, Thomas Tull’s studio still has projects at WB, including the Godzilla franchise. Even though Tull had been developing Kong: Skull Island at Universal (which released Peter Jackson’s 2005 King Kong), he decided to move the project to WB so he could orchestrate a clash between the two, Deadline reported Thursday night.
The deal is even approved by Toho, the Japanese studio that owns Godzilla. Deadline reports that King Kong himself is now in public domain, although the RKO-produced 1933 film that he first appeared in is currently owned by Turner.
It’s not clear if this sudden move is going to delay Skull Island. It’s currently scheduled for March 10, 2017. There have been some casting changes, but Tom Hiddleston has been a part of it for awhile. Brie Larson, Corey Hawkins and Samuel L. Jackson are attached and Tom Wilkinson and John C. Reilly have offers.
Also not clear: How is Kong supposed to fight a lizard that’s hundreds of feet tall? Although they last faced off in 1962, Godzilla was portrayed as a gigantic monster in the 2014 Godzilla. It could be quite tough for the gorilla.