Jackson co-wrote, produced and directed this new “King Kong,” which stars Naomi Watts as struggling actress Ann Darrow, Jack Black as filmmaker Carl Denham, and Adrien Brody as New York playwright Jack Driscoll. Colin Hanks, Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, and Thomas Kretschmann are also featured in the tale of a great ape who bonds with a beautiful woman and rebels against being held in captivity.
According to "King Kong's" Colin Hanks, Peter Jackson's love for the original movie is what inspired Jackson to become a filmmaker. Hanks feels audiences will share Jackson's passion for the project and won't be disappointed with how the three time Oscar winner handles this highly anticipated remake.
Colin Hanks on Comparisons to the Classic “King Kong” Film: “Well, a lot of stuff carries over. The original ‘King Kong’ is the film that Peter wanted to make. That’s the movie that made Peter want to make movies to begin with, so we’re very truthful to the original. We’re set in the 30s – it’s very truthful. We’ve elaborated and I would say updated the acting and story for modern times. So it’s not just the special effects that are different, but the acting and more character. This, that and the other thing…sort of stretching it out. We’re really fleshing it out and making the story much more dramatic then some think.”
Colin Hanks on Contemporary Audiences Accepting an Ape on the Empire State Building: Hanks said that he believes the film will play just as well now as it did decades ago, and that audiences will easily be able to get into the story of a large gorilla loose in New York City. Hanks was so sure of Jackson’s ability to involve the audience, he even guaranteed a specific reaction to the film’s climatic moments. “You’ll be surprised. No, you’ll be surprised. I guarantee you you will not be prepared for the end of the movie. I guarantee you you will cry. Guaranteed,” said Hanks.
Colin Hanks on His “King Kong” Experience: “It’s only the most amazing experience of all time. It was great. It was the most fun I’ve ever had. It was the hardest I’ve worked, but it was hands-down one of the coolest working experiences I’ve ever had with just the most amazing group.”
Colin Hanks Elaborates on What Made “King Kong” Special: “It was the group of people. It was the passion that everybody had for it, you know? The fact that it was sort of like a cool summer camp in which we’re away in New Zealand making this big, gigantic, huge movie that will probably be the biggest movie any of us will ever make. It was a large combination of factors that just made it an unbelievable experience and I can’t wait to see the movie.”
Colin Hanks on Peter Jackson’s Use of Practical Effects and CGI: “Well all of it… There’s CGI elements in every shot and large elements of green screen and stuff like that. In regards to Kong itself, Andy Serkis was there and did reference for us on the day. And then he went through a large process of a large amount of motion capture and stuff like that, and then the animation. But Andy was there in…I don’t want to say a gorilla suit…but a suit that made him sort of look like – it didn’t have fur – but to give him the shape of a gorilla. So there’s an actual guy there acting like a gorilla there for us.”
Colin Hanks on Working With Andy Serkis in a Gorilla-like Suit: “Andy Serkis is, I think, one of the greatest actors I’ve seen in the last 20 years. So when you’ve got someone like that who’s literally transforming himself into a gorilla there for you, it makes it pretty easy. You’ve just got to pretend he’s 50 feet tall (laughing).”
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Universal Pictures will unleash "King Kong" in theaters on December 14, 2005.
