Though we will no doubt see the mighty Kong clash with his fellow titans in theatres again before too long, The King of the Monsters (don't tell Godzilla!) is also heading to the small screen in live-action form for the very first time.
According to Deadline (via SFFGazette.com), a new show with the working title "King Kong" is being developed for the Disney+ streaming service. The project is being written by Paper Girls creator Stephany Folsom, who will also produce alongside James Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett for Atomic Monster and Dannie Festa and Marc Manus for World Builder Entertainment.
The series is described as "a serialized action/adventure drama that brings the classic monster story into the modern age, with a return to Skull Island and the dawn of a new Kong. The series will explore the mythology of King Kong’s origin story and the supernatural mysteries of his home based on IP from Merian C. Cooper’s original books and the new King Kong novelizations by Joe DeVito."
This is obviously a completely different project to the King Kong: Skull Island show that was being developed at MarVista Entertainment and IM Global Television a few years ago, which never ended up coming to fruition.
You might be wondering how Disney can develop a King Kong series while the legendary Titan is still a major part of Warner Bros.' MonsterVerse, but the rights to the character are complex, to say the least. Ultimately, Warners seem to be able to get away with utilizing the great ape by only referring to him as "Kong" (as in Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla vs. Kong, etc).
What do you guys make of this? Do you think King Kong really needs an origin story? Drop us a comment down below.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.