Peter Jackson's KING KONG

Started by Spike, December 14, 2003, 01:15:38 PM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Derek

I don't know if it's pointless. Not to offend anyone, but the original is so old he would in essence be bringing something completely new to life. Like LOTR books, he would almost be crossing mediums because the the original, for all its merits, would be a completely different thing due to today's sensibilities and technologies.
It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black.

cine

Quote from: DerekI don't know if it's pointless. Not to offend anyone, but the original is so old he would in essence be bringing something completely new to life.  
Completely wrong. Number one reason why: 1933's was in black and white while he'll be making this one in colour. Big, big difference.

Derek

Quote from: Cinephile
Quote from: DerekI don't know if it's pointless. Not to offend anyone, but the original is so old he would in essence be bringing something completely new to life.  
Completely wrong. Number one reason why: 1933's was in black and white while he'll be making this one in colour. Big, big difference.

I don't understand what you mean.
It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black.

Pubrick

it looks like ur both arguing the same point  :shock:
under the paving stones.

cine

What I mean is.. I didn't think remaking a b&w film into colour film would be bringing it to life. Quite opposite, actually, because b&w doesn't grow dated while colour does. So 2033, people will still be praising the original King Kong and celebrating its 100 years while Jackson's Kong will be looked upon in less than 30 years as a good movie at best and likely insulting to the original. Hey, that's my take anyway.

MacGuffin

Peter Jackson Talks King Kong
Source: Variety

Variety columnist Army Archerd talked to "The Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson at the annual Oscar nominees luncheon about his next film, Universal's King Kong.

In August he starts filming back in New Zealand with Naomi Watts, of whom, he says, "I've been a fan for years." As for Kong himself, Jackson says, "We want him to be quite real." And the period of the film will be the same as the original - 1933 - with the Empire State Building and the biplane, "which is ingrained in memory. I want to be respectful."

After that, he admits, "I want to make smaller films."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

cron

Quote from: Peter Jackson"I want to make smaller films."

Just before Mac posted that,  I was remembering a transcribed conversation I read between Jeanluc Godard and Pauline Kael where Godard said that Coppola was a big spender and  Pauline Kael  agreed , and replied that her least favorite film of Coppola was The Conversation. She said that smaller films where not his thing.
context, context, context.

MacGuffin

PETER JACKSON TALKS KING KONG AND REVEALS HIS POSSIBLE CAMEO
Source: AMCTV

In a recent taping of AMC TV's 'Sunday Morning Shootout' with hosts mega-Producer Peter Guber and Daily Variety's Editor-In-Chief Peter Bart special guest director Peter Jackson revealed some new information on his upcoming project 'King Kong.'

In the episode, Jackson, along with New Line head Bob Shaye, talked about just how long he had been working on the dream project and how it was delayed and shuffled by Universal Pictures' chairman Casey Silver who went and traded license rights to Miramax's guru Harvey Weinstein for production rights to 'Shakespeare In Love' which of course won the Best Picture Oscar in 1999.

By the end of the interview, co-host Peter Gruber asked Jackson if he already planned his expected cameo on Kong and Jackson replied, "I want to be the guy in the airplane shooting at him."

Watch the entire show here. (Jackson interview is about 9 min. into the show).
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

MacGuffin

'Rings' Director Looking Ahead to 'King Kong'

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Hollywood Reporter) - New Zealander Peter Jackson has gone from making movies as a hobby to making movies about hobbits -- films that have helped him forge a filmmaking empire in New Zealand and build a reputation in Hollywood for pulling off the impossible.

On the eve of maybe landing his most precious prize yet -- an Oscar for directing "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the last film in the "Rings" trilogy -- Jackson spoke with The Hollywood Reporter.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WILL MAKING A SINGLE MOVIE LIKE "KING KONG" SEEM ANTICLIMACTIC AFTER "THE LORD OF THE RINGS?"

Peter Jackson: From a logistical point of view, a single movie is much easier, but the main creative challenge of writing a good script and making a good movie remains as difficult as ever. I do think that having the experience of three huge films back-to-back behind us has given the "LOTR" crew and craftspeople a confidence that we can take on any project.

THR: WHAT KEY CHALLENGES DOES ITS FILMING PRESENT?

Jackson: Writing the script is always the most critical and difficult job. The actual filming shouldn't be too tricky once we assemble a great cast. Creating a strong emotional presence of Kong himself will be a challenge since he obviously won't be joining us on set.

THR: CAN YOU CONFIRM WHICH, IF ANY, "LORD OF THE RINGS" CAST AND CREW WILL BE INVOLVED WITH "KING KONG?"

Jackson: It's too early to say about cast, apart from Naomi Watts, who's now confirmed. We need to write for a few more weeks to establish exactly what type of other characters we are looking for. I'm hoping there will be suitable roles for one or two "LOTR" actors. As far as crew go, "LOTR" veterans include Jan Blenkin and Caro Cunningham, both of whom are producing "Kong" with me; Andrew Lesnie is on board as (director of photography); Grant Major is production designer; Dan Hennah is supervising art director. Both Weta Workshop, led by Richard Taylor, and Weta Digital have been at work on "Kong" for some months now. Howard Shore is doing the music. We are talking to all other crew at the moment and imagine the majority will be "LOTR" veterans.

THR: HOW WILL YOUR "KING KONG" DIFFER FROM THE ORIGINAL AND THE FIRST REMAKE?

Jackson: It's based on the 1933 movie, and we will follow that basic plot and narrative structure. We will obviously be writing much more depth into the characters -- approaching it as a drama rather than fantasy. We pretend the 1976 version doesn't exist.

THR: WILL ALL OF "KING KONG" BE SHOT AND POSTPRODUCED IN NEW ZEALAND?    

Jackson: Yes. Production will be based in Miramar, Wellington, at Stone Street Studios, which is having a new huge soundstage built to accommodate our needs. All postproduction will occur at Weta Digital for CGI and Park Road Post for the sound mix and lab work -- both in Miramar also. There will be some, but not much, location shooting elsewhere in New Zealand, but we're not sure where yet.
THR: DID YOU EVER THINK "LORD OF THE RINGS" WOULD BECOME THE PHENOMENON IT HAS, AND WHAT HAS MOST SURPRISED YOU ABOUT ITS SUCCESS?

Jackson: No. Even dreaming of this kind of success is something you just don't do during production. It would jinx it! We were all hoping New Line would get its money back, and we worked very hard to try and achieve that. If that happened, we would hopefully get to make other films. I have been surprised by how many non-Tolkien readers we have now converted. Having young kids plow their way through his rather difficult books is something I'm proud to have inspired.

THR: HOW IMPORTANT WAS DVD TO THE BOX OFFICE SUCCESS OF "RINGS," AND WHO CONCEIVED THE STRATEGY OF THE EXTENDED CUTS?

Jackson: I suggested the extended cuts when we were locking down the "Fellowship of the Ring" cut in 2001. Until we actually knew how much deleted footage we would end up with and how worthwhile it was, there was no thought about alternate cuts. Having multiple units shooting three movies at once, out of sequence, with continual script revisions, made it difficult to keep track of exactly how long each of the films was going to be. As it happened, we had nearly an extra hour of deleted scenes for each of the three movies. I've always regarded those deleted scenes as being a legitimate part of our "LOTR" adaptation. The DVD release of the theatrical movie was very helpful in maintaining a marketing momentum and profile during the 12 months between the cinema releases of each of the films.

THR: HOW DO YOU SEE TECHNOLOGY AFFECTING THE PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND EXHIBITION OF MOVIES IN THE FUTURE? IS "LORD OF THE RINGS" A TEMPLATE FOR HOW MOVIES CAN BE FILMED AND POSTPRODUCED ANYWHERE NOW?

Jackson: Obviously, the future of production, distribution and exhibition of films lies in the digital technology currently being developed. We shot "LOTR" on film, as we will with "Kong." However, we did digitally scan and color-time the three movies, which I found to be a wonderful creative tool. It also enabled us to make completely digital intermediates, which had less quality loss than their film equivalents. That's a kind of compromise approach as I'm waiting for a completely digital filmmaking world to solidify over the next few years. As high-definition DVDs arrive next year and home cinema takes a huge quality leap, I think that the future of theatrical presentations will move to larger-event-type formats like Imax. Big-budget, complex films with extensive CGI effects can be made anywhere now.

THR: WHAT DO YOU MOST REGRET YOU COULDN'T ACHIEVE WITH "LORD OF THE RINGS?"

Jackson: I don't have regrets -- only a rather stunned disbelief at what has transpired. Ask me in five years.

THR: DO YOU EVER SEE YOURSELF MAKING MOVIES OUTSIDE NEW ZEALAND? WHAT KIND OF PROJECT WOULD IT TAKE?

Jackson: I'd go elsewhere if I needed a specific location, but I'd always come back to N.Z. for postproduction.

THR: DO YOU THINK YOUR STAGGERING SUCCESS WILL ENCOURAGE THE NEXT WAVE OF NEW ZEALAND FILMMAKERS TO RESIDE AND MAKE MOVIES HERE, OR WILL HOLLYWOOD ALWAYS LURE MOST OF OUR TOP TALENT?

Jackson: It will depend on the individual. Working where you want to work is a luxury that is dictated by one's status within the industry to some degree.
THR: HOW DOES A NEW ZEALAND DIRECTOR WIN CREATIVE CONTROL/FINAL CUT AND A RECORD FEE AS YOU REPORTEDLY HAVE FOR "KING KONG?"

Jackson: By making "The Lord of the Rings." But don't forget, "The Lord of the Rings" was made by somebody who had been making low-budget films, often with government support since 1986 -- and for 18 years before that with the support of my parents.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

Kal

3am is the time before going to bed that I read all the world newspapers... and Mac's news which are always the best :)

MacGuffin

Black takes on 'King Kong'
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Jack Black has been in cast in Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong" for Universal Pictures. Black will play Carl Denham, an adventurer filmmaker who is trying to make a name for himself in 1930s New York. Robert Armstrong played the role in the 1933 original.

Black joins Naomi Watts, who is playing Ann Darrow, an American actress who makes a living performing in Broadway song and dance shows.

"I've been wanting to work with Jack Black ever since I saw him in High Fidelity," said Jackson, who is also writing the remake along with his Lord of the Rings co-screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. "He's a smart and versatile actor blessed with an abundance of energy and charm and I'm absolutely thrilled that he is joining us on 'Kong.' I look forward to seeing Carl Denham come to life in this new version of the story and I have no doubt Jack will make him a truly memorable character."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

El Duderino

holy shit, jack black and naomi watts? fucking fantastic, i'll be there first day
Did I just get cock-blocked by Bob Saget?

Ghostboy

AWESOME.

And before anyone says that Jack Black is only good at comedy, I'll just point out that he was very serious and restrained as Sean Penn's brother in Dead Man Walking.

ono

Ever since High Fidelity, Orange County, and School of Rock, I thought I'd follow Jack Black pretty much anywhere.  But not even he (and Naomi Watts) can make me want to see a monster movie remake.  I'm positive Black would make an excellent dramatic actor.  But still, this, nah, I don't know.  But that's just me not liking the genre, so don't mind me.

NEON MERCURY

.....hmm...jack blach...eh?..........


hes just as funny as pauly shore or yahoo serious. ....whats the deal with this guy..why do people like him....?..the only film i have seen that hes bareable in would be Jesus' Son......