KONG: SKULL ISLAND - March 10th - Reviews Solid

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AndyDursin
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KONG: SKULL ISLAND - March 10th - Reviews Solid

#1 Post by AndyDursin »

This is all being done to tie in with a KING KONG/GODZILLA match-up, but the move on the surface is odd -- Legendary left WB for Universal, and Universal holds the KING KONG rights. Why would Universal just hand over the King Kong franchise to Warner, so THEY can profit from future Godzilla installments? Clearly there are other elements at play not mentioned in this story.

http://deadline.com/2015/09/king-kong-g ... 201521004/
In a movie move that portends a clash of giant monsters, Legendary Pictures’ Thomas Tull is moving his untitled Skull Island King Kong film to Warner Bros. This is being done to unite the property with Legendary’s other giant franchise, Godzilla. In what would be a pretty epic pairing, the Godzilla sequel that is in the works will be followed by a movie that pits the giant ape versus the giant fire breathing reptile. I’m told this is happening very quickly with moves going all the way to Japan, where Godzilla rights holder Toho is based. Legendary, which moved from Warner Bros to Universal, had developed the Skull Island film at the latter studio. It is unclear at the moment what Universal’s position will be, but I heard the studio move is being done because it is just easier to have all the pieces under one roof, something that Marvel Studios has done with superheroes like The Hulk. King Kong is in the public domain, while Legendary got the Godzilla rights from Toho.

The Kong: Skull Island film is casting quickly. Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston and Corey Hawkins are set and last I wrote about it, Samuel L. Jackson was in line to star, with Tom Wilkinson also offered a big role and John C. Reilly atop the list for another main role. Jordan Vogt-Roberts is directing a script by John Gatins and Max Borenstein, and they are eyeing a production start of late year or early 2016. Universal had been set to release the film March 10, 2017, with a Imax 3D a big part of the release plan. Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni produce with Mary Parent, with Alex Garcia and Eric McLeod exec producing. I’ll let you know how this one sorts itself, but I hear it’s happening.

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Monterey Jack
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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND Moves to WB, Sets Up GODZILLA Tie-In

#2 Post by Monterey Jack »

Interconnected cinematic "universes" are being really old by this point. :roll: Especially since, the Marvel films aside, no one has actually been able to make it work to date...they have one movie as a set-up, it tanks, and no other films in the "universe" are ever produced (remember that proposed Universal Monsters one that went nowhere when Dracula Untold tanked?). How about just making a good, stand-alone Kong movie?

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND Moves to WB, Sets Up GODZILLA Tie-In

#3 Post by AndyDursin »

Yeah, exactly, they're trying to put the cart before the horse so to speak -- not just here, but Universal with their Monsters would-be franchise, Warner with all these DC films, etc...but that's modern studio filmmaking in 2015. It's all about branding, cross-promotion and "corporate synergy".

These films are products than movies -- and sure it's always been that way to some degree, but never so blatantly as now.

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND Moves to WB, Sets Up GODZILLA Tie-In

#4 Post by Monterey Jack »

Remember when you'd pay to see the latest James Bond or Indiana Jones movie, or latest Die Hard/Lethal Weapon/Dirty Harry sequel, and you'd get a completely stand-alone adventure that was completely wrapped up by the end, with no stupid "See you in two summers!" Credit Cookie gratuitously shoved into the credits? :? Like someone once said on another forum, if Temple Of Doom were made today, it'd end on a cliffhanger with Indy supposedly plunging to his death from the rope bridge, then there'd by a final pre-credits "stinger" where Mola Ram is revealed to by Indy's Dad in disguise, drinking blood out of the Holy Grail. :roll: I mean, if it's a series of movies you like, more often than not you're going to show up for the next installment anyways, so the use of these kind of "the story is not complete" dangling plotlines is cheap and insulting. The X-Men and Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies have handled this better than most...while there are some dangling plot threads in each film, they were also "self-contained" to a satisfactory degree. The failure of the second Amazing Spider-Man movie is a good example of audiences getting sick of this crap...that was a film that was all set-up for a third movie and Sinister Six-spin off that will never happen, and had no idea how to present a satisfying A-B-C narrative contained within its own running time. Same thing with the second (and lamest) Iron Man movie, which did so much shilling for future Avengers team-ups that it forgot to be entertaining. At least Ant-Man was self-contained, so even if you didn't give a poop about the other Avengers films, you could walk away from that totally satisfied (despite a handful of in-jokes and references).

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND Moves to WB, Sets Up GODZILLA Tie-In

#5 Post by Eric Paddon »

I have to admit, back in the late 70s, early 80s because of the "Star Wars", "Superman" and Trek movie franchises, I tended to see movies having a serialized arc of sorts. It took me a bit to wean me off that attitude

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND Moves to WB, Sets Up GODZILLA Tie-In

#6 Post by AndyDursin »

Some interesting tidbits developing in this story, as there's apparently lots of friction between Universal and Legendary, who just signed a deal there, which is why Uni was willing to let them go.

The main thrust is that this 3-picture Legendary/WB deal includes:

-KING KING movie
-GODZILLA sequel
-KING KONG/GODZILLA mash-up

No wonder why WB has put PACIFIC RIM 2 on "indefinite" hold.

Also interesting is that Universal has no financial interest in CRIMSON PEAK since it carries an R rating.

Full story here:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/h ... sal-823715
Universal Pictures' decision last week to let Thomas Tull's Legendary Pictures take its Kong: Skull Island project to Warner Bros. in the midst of a five-year production and financing deal is being read as a symptom of relationship trouble between the companies.

Several sources say there has been strain, in part because Tull kicked off the deal in 2014 with a couple of clunkers that he put through Universal's distribution system and then upset some at the studio who feel he has indulged a bad habit of wrapping himself in credit for hits that he merely helped finance. In this case, the film at issue was the biggest movie of the year to date, Jurassic World.

Known as a brash fanboy with a knack for raising big money, Tull, 43, brought potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in film financing to Universal after his relationship with Warners soured amid similar reports of tension over that studio's perception that he grabbed credit for Christopher Nolan's Batman movies and other hits on which he was a financing partner. (In a 2009 Wall Street Journal profile, for example, Tull said Legendary had made The Dark Knight.) "That will always be his biggest problem," says a source close to Warners. "Not just saying, 'Thank you.' " Legendary, Warners and Universal declined comment, but a source with ties to Tull notes that both studios "certainly decided to cash his checks."

In a twist, following Universal's decision to pass on Kong — with a budget north of $125 million — Warners is stepping in with a three-picture deal that kicks off with Kong; followed by a sequel to 2014's Godzilla, the biggest Warners hit originated by Legendary ($529 million worldwide); followed by a mashup that pits the ape against Godzilla. Warners is said to be kicking in 25 percent of budgets as well as marketing costs on the Kong films.

One industry veteran notes that the deal brings Tull "back to Warners, which was thrilled to see him leave." But a studio insider says a broader deal between Warners and Legendary won't happen in the foreseeable future because WB is happy with its financing partnership with James Packer and Brett Ratner's RatPac Entertainment.

It's still early days in the relationship between Legendary and Universal. But things got off to an inauspicious start as the deal required the studio to distribute two existing Legendary-backed films: Michael Mann's $70 million Blackhat, which was released in January and grossed a paltry $17.8 million worldwide, and Seventh Son, a $95 million-plus fantasy that reached only $111 million worldwide. (Universal lost no money on those films but spent manpower on releasing them didn't relish the association with them.)

Universal has invested in three Legendary projects: the $15 million horror movie Krampus (Dec. 4); the ambitious Warcraft, based on the video game (June 10); and The Great Wall, a Matt Damon sci-fi action film directed by Zhang Yimou for November 2016. (Tull shares "original story" credit on Great Wall.) Several sources say the latter two are seen as "problem movies" that have heightened concerns on the part of Universal studio chief Donna Langley.

Meanwhile, Legendary opted into two big Universal hits: It took 25 percent of Jurassic World, which was a smart bet because it has grossed $1.7 billion worldwide, and 50 percent of the moderately budgeted Straight Outta Compton, which has earned $181 million. Legendary also invested in Danny Boyle's awards hopeful Steve Jobs (Oct. 9).

Kong is not the first Legendary film in which Universal has declined to participate. This spring, the studio bowed out of paying for half of Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak (Oct. 16). The studio had said it would share the cost only if the film got a PG-13 rating; a source says Langley believed the movie cost too much for an R rating. With del Toro now having delivered an R, Legendary is footing the whole bill.

Legendary wanted to produce a sequel to del Toro's Pacific Rim, which was made under the Warners deal and turned into one of those films that grosses a lot ($411 million worldwide) while being so costly that a follow-up isn't a sure thing. Sources say Legendary liked that the original performed exceptionally well in China, where the company is heavily invested, but for now the project — which had been ramping up to make a release date in August 2017 — has been halted indefinitely and will be pushed back (if it gets made at all).

Some industry insiders assumed King Kong was a Universal property, probably because of Peter Jackson's 2005 film and the theme park attraction, but the material is in the public domain. Tull wanted Universal to kick in 25 percent of the new film's budget, and sources say some at the studio were excited about the idea of a new Kong movie. But "when you're taking a big swing like that," says an insider, "you'd better have your **** together." And Universal was not convinced that such was the state of Legendary's project. But Legendary attorney Skip Brittenham says Tull has talked for years of making a movie that would matchup Kong and Godzilla and asked Universal to let the project go to Warners.

Now that Legendary has moved Kong, that settles a brewing argument over the script's references to Monarch, the secret government entity in Godzilla that employed the characters played by Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins. Obviously, the inclusion of Monarch in Kong is a move to tie the ape into a hoped-for Godzilla "universe." Warners, which held onto the right to participate in any Godzilla sequel, did not relish the idea of a Godzilla element in a Universal-backed Kong movie.

A threshold problem is that Kong supposedly is much smaller than Godzilla. That fact was not lost on Universal. "There were funny comments about him having to be the size of the Empire State Building instead of hanging off of it," says a studio insider. But a source close to Tull says Legendary is confident it can come up with a rationale to explain how Kong and Godzilla can do battle — and possibly become allies.

Sources with ties to both Legendary and Universal point out that the deal between the two was engineered by NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke just before the ouster of Adam Fogelson as Universal's film chairman. Burke was said at the time to have been enamored with Tull's company and to have promised him nearly unfettered access to Universal projects (minus Fast & Furious, Minions movies and Ted). Universal had no major financing partner at the time, and though it was showing signs of life with Fast & Furious 6 and Identity Thief, it also had costly disappointments like R.I.P.D. and 47 Ronin.

But after Universal's record-setting year at the box office, says a person with knowledge of the situation from the studio's perspective, things have changed: "Donna Langley is ascendant and carrying far more weight with [Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman] Jeff Shell, Burke and [Comcast chairman and CEO] Brian Roberts than Thomas Tull. That was not Thomas Tull's plan." And given Universal's dazzling run, says another person close to the studio, "They have the right to be really selective. They're riding on top of the world right now."

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND Moves to WB, Sets Up GODZILLA Tie-In

#7 Post by mkaroly »

I really enjoyed the Godzilla reboot movie and admit that I am very intrigued about the next film, a new KONG, and a team-up picture. Hopefully they do it right.

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND Moves to WB, Sets Up GODZILLA Tie-In

#8 Post by AndyDursin »

This looks much more interesting than Peter Jackson's endless, pointless remake...between the '70s setting (fwiw) and the casting of Hiddleston and Larson, this looks intriguing.

Set tour running a couple of minutes aired during the MTV Movie Awards the other night:

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/10/ko ... vie-awards

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND First Look

#9 Post by AndyDursin »

Trailer's up. I'll go. 8)


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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND - March 2017 - Trailer

#10 Post by mkaroly »

Lol...Samuel L. Jackson is in practically everything. Gotta love his commitment to act!

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND - March 2017 - Trailer

#11 Post by AndyDursin »

New trailer -- looks good to me, lots of Kong on Monster Action, and of course, tying this into the GODZILLA "franchise universe".

Plus, John C. Reilly added for comic relief, something sorely missing from the likes of GODZILLA:


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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND - March 2017 - New Trailer

#12 Post by AndyDursin »

Reviews are out -- and they're good!

Owen Gleiberman says better than both KONG remakes and...
The surprise is that Skull Island isn't just ten times as good as Jurassic World; it's a rousing and smartly crafted primordial-beastie spectacular.
http://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/ko ... 202000823/
All the requisite elements are served up here in ideal proportion, and the time just flies by, which can rarely be said for films of this nature.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review ... iew-982156

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND - March 10th - Reviews Solid

#13 Post by Monterey Jack »

Just under two hours, too...soothing news for my bladder. :)

Also nice to know they're not pulling the "Lucy yanking the football away from Charlie Brown" crap again, and are actually going to less us WATCH the giant monsters fight, unlike Godzilla or even Pacific Rim (where the battle scenes were constantly cloaked in darkness and rain). I got a ticket to see this when I bought the 1933 Kong at Best Buy recently, so I'm pumped up. Show me the MONKEY...!!! 8)

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND - March 10th - Reviews Solid

#14 Post by Eric Paddon »

"Unfortunately, he's got a new enemy in Packard, who is determined to settle his unfinished business in Nam by taking out Kong, as if that would somehow right the balance."

Didn't I already see the bloodthirsty Colonel wants to kill Kong before in "King Kong Lives?" Oh I guess this is supposed to count as a "reason" (which that awful film never gave us other than "he's a soldier, he's supposed to be evil!").

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Re: KONG: SKULL ISLAND - March 10th - Reviews Solid

#15 Post by AndyDursin »

Yeah I got that "evil soldier" vibe from the trailer too. Oh well looks like theres ample fun coming in the rest of it.

I also think they are fortunate Edwards wasn't available to do the Godzilla sequel. That Lucy analogy is apt and he pulled the same "dismal dark" thing in Rogue One, which Disney "fixed" without him. IMO the gig is up for Edwards and I bet the next Godzilla is going to be a lot more "fun" as this Kong apparently is.

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