It looks like Legendary and director Jordan Vogt-Roberts are going to have to begin searching for a couple of terrific actors for lead roles in Kong: Skull Island fairly pronto, as they've lost both Michael Keaton and J.K. Simmons. According to Deadline, the "principal reason" behind their departure is scheduling conflicts, as the project recently pushed back its production start by a few weeks from the fall to before the end of the year. Thor's Tom Hiddleston remains on in the lead role.
Though the movie has been referred to as an origin story for the great ape, it's also been called a reboot and is not expected to tie into Peter Jackson's 2005 King Kong remake. The plot will focus on "a team of explorers venturing deep inside the treacherous, primordial island."
Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni will produce with Alex Garcia, and Eric McLeod is on board as exec producer. Universal Pictures will release the film in 3D and IMAX 3D on March 10, 2017.