King Kong (2005)
- Before Naomi Watts was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- Peter Jackson originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- During the filming of King Kong, Naomi Watts improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
King Kong is a 2005 epic adventure film directed by Peter Jackson, a lavish remake of the 1933 classic. Naomi Watts stars as Ann Darrow, a struggling Depression-era actress who is recruited by filmmaker Carl Denham, played by Jack Black, for a mysterious voyage to the uncharted Skull Island, where they encounter Kong โ a 25-foot silverback gorilla who is the island's apex predator and last of his species. Jackson, who had cited the original King Kong as the film that inspired him to become a filmmaker, poured his passion into a three-hour epic that expanded the original's narrative and emotional scope dramatically.
The relationship between Ann and Kong was portrayed with remarkable emotional nuance through Andy Serkis's performance-capture work and WETA Digital's animation, creating a creature capable of genuine tenderness, humor, and heartbreak. The Skull Island sequences โ featuring stampeding brontosauruses, giant insects, and a triple V-Rex battle โ were among the most technically impressive and thrilling action sequences of their era. King Kong earned $550 million worldwide on a $207 million budget.
