Although Kong: Skull Island has been pushed back to 2017, it looks as though it’s found another star – none other than J.K. Simmons.
According to Deadline Hollywood, the 59-year-old actor has signed up for Legendary’s upcoming King Kong prequel.
“J.K. Simmons, the journeyman actor who’s hot as a pistol after his turn in the Damien Chazelle-directed Whiplash, has been set to join Tom Hiddleston in Kong: Skull Island, the Legendary Pictures tent pole that Universal Pictures has set for March 10, 2017 release.”
“Jordan Vogt-Roberts is directing a script by John Gatins and Max Borenstein,” they explained. “[It] focuses on the wild island home of the iconic ape King Kong.”
Essentially a prequel to the story of King Kong, the upcoming Skull Island movie is acting as a reboot to the franchise… although it’s currently unknown how far the studio will pursue the monster franchise in the long term.
Of course, with J.K. Simmons joining the likes of Tom Hiddleston, I can’t help thinking that Kong: Skull Island is going to hold a lot of clout. But is it the King Kong movie we’ve been waiting for?
It’s certainly shaping up to be an interesting movie… and with such a stellar cast so far, I can’t help thinking who else will join them. And whether or not this could be the start of a whole new monster franchise for the folks at Legendary.
But who is J.K. Simmons playing?
At the moment, we have no idea… neither do we know the character played by Tom Hiddleston. In fact, very little is known about the King Kong prequel, except that it will take place on the island of King Kong’s origin. And it seems they’re taking every opportunity to explore this strange, new world.
“Previous works have touched on the island,” said an official statement. “But staying on and exploring this mysterious and dangerous place offers Legendary the opportunity to take audiences deeper inside this rich world with a style and scope that parallels other Legendary productions.”
Will it be as good as the earlier King Kong movie? For now, we’ll have to wait and see. But I can’t help thinking it’s looking ever-more promising.
What do you think of Kong: Skull Island so far? Who would you like to see join Tom Hiddleston and J.K. Simmons? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
