Legendary Pictures and Warner-Brothers have released a new trailer for their upcoming monster horror-action Film 'Kong: Skull Island'. It is directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, who previously directed 'The Kings of Summer' and is also rumoured for a 'Metal Gear Solid' film. It stars Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Samuel L. Jackson, Jing Tian and Toby Kebbell.
A rebooted franchise
The film is part of a reboot for the 'King Kong' franchise, which began with a Hollywood film in 1933. It was remade in 1976 by Dino De Laurentiis and again in 2005 by 'Lord of the Rings' director Peter Jackson. Each film features a giant ape-like monster known as "Kong", who resides on a large pacific island. The story usually involves a group of explorers travelling to Skull Island and disturbing his natural habitat.
This new film will be set in the 1970s and also acts as a precursor to a new 'Godzilla vs Kong' film set for 2020, crossing over with 2014's 'Godzilla' reboot and continuing the legacy of Toho's famous kaiju.
Legendary have said of the new cinematic universe, "following Legendary’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ 2014 success with the global reinvention of the Godzilla franchise, the companies have come together to create an epic, new shared cinematic franchise. All-powerful monsters become towering heroes for a new generation, revealing a mythology that brings together Godzilla and Legendary’s King Kong in an ecosystem of other giant super-species, both classic and new." This will not be the first time Godzilla and King Kong have clashed on-screen, as they were both in Toho's 1962 film 'King Kong vs. Godzilla', one of their most successful films to date.
Shared cinematic universe
Legendary are also developing a sequel to 'Godzilla', which is slated for release in 2019 and is expected to feature other monsters from the Toho universe such as King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan.
'Kong: Skull Island' will be released in cinemas on 10th March, 2017. It will also be distributed in IMAX and IMAX 3D.