Legendary Pictures scored a solid victory in Hall H at the San Diego Comic-Con. In a surprise move, the studio announced that it will be going ahead with the production of "Skull Island," a new feature by "Godzilla" writer Max Borenstein based on the mythic origins of King Kong.
Historically the island consists of all sorts of mutant giant creatures that are sure to be made into some CGI wizardry. The picture sounds to be a sort of King Kong "origin story" with Skull Island as the backdrop where it explores the life of the classic movie monster before he is extricated from the island and heads to the top of the Empire State Building. A November 4, 2016 release date has been set and the studio is putting the property on the fast track.
According to Deadline, it is rumored that "Attack the Block" director Joe Cornish has been offered the gig, but there is no confirmation yet. Cornish's low budget hit about an alien invasion has given him enough pull to pick his next directing gig. He is also rumored to have been offered Universal's "Section Six," the Aaron Berg-penned drama about the formation of the MI6 British Intelligence branch.
The teaser trailer that Legendary Pictures showed to fans in Hall H got the buzz building again for this "King Kong" origin story. It is fair to say that the time on the island in Peter Jackson's "King Kong" was the highlight of the three-hour epic from the Academy Award winning director.
A complete look at Skull Island has never been done before, and while previous films and other works have grazed the island, staying and exploring its dangerous depths is a whole new concept. Judging by the reaction at the Con, fans are ready to revisit the Island. A good barometer for how the picture will do will be to look at next summer's "Jurassic World," the fourth installment in the mega-popular series.
"Attack the Block" has become a cult hit in its own right, with fans dying to see what Joe Cornish has up next. The visual director showed with his film that he can get a big bang for the buck, even on a constrained budget. While there is no official word yet or time frame for plucking up Cornish, it will most definitely be sooner than later if the studio wants to hit that 2016 release date.
