Peter Jackson’s King Kong was the ninth entry in the King Kong franchise. The film remains Jackson’s only monster movie and he didn’t return to direct a sequel film. But he was interested to see a sequel of the film from one director who has a lifelong fascination with monsters. Jackson thought it would be great if Guillermo del Toro helmed the sequel, after hearing rumors of it at San Diego Comic-Con in 2014.
However, the sequel eventually went nowhere and WB rebooted the franchise with Kong: Skull Island in 2017. Del Toro’s work includes films like Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, and Pacific Rim. He had worked with Peter Jackson to write the screenplay of The Hobbit trilogy.
Peter Jackson Wanted Guillermo del Toro to Helm The King Kong Sequel
At the San Diego Comic-Con in 2014, Legendary announced a sequel to King Kong, surprising fans of the franchise. The studio provided very little information about the sequel, titled Skull Island. However, rumors spread during the event that Guillermo del Toro was involved in the project. Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis, who attended the event, shared their comments on the rumor.
Jackson revealed that he didn’t know anything about the rumors and it was the first time he was hearing them. However, he shared that it would be “fantastic” to have Del Toro on the project. The Lord of the Rings director added that he would be there on the first day to help the Pinocchio director with any needs. Jackson shared at SDCC (via SlashFilm):
I don’t know anything about it. I’m hearing it from you, for the first time. I would look forward to it. If Guillermo did King Kong, that would be great. That would be fantastic. I’ll be there on the first day, and will help him with anything he needs.
Andy Serkis also shared his thoughts on the rumors, sharing that he didn’t even know about the plans to make another version. However, he too shared that Del Toro was the person for the job and was sure that he would make an extraordinary film. Serkis shared:
I didn’t even realize there was another version being made. Guillermo is a great director, so I’m sure he’ll make an extraordinary film.
Jackson also shared that he always wondered how much longer his films like The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit would survive before they got remade. He shared that it would be interesting to see another director remaking it and continuing the legacy of the series. However, with Kong, it was he who remade the film and continued the legacy.
Guillermo del Toro’s Involvement Turned Out To Be A Mere Speculation
Legendary’s announcement of the King Kong sequel at the Comic-Con was confusing at best and many believed the Del Toro rumor to be true due to a timing issue. It was later reported that Joe Cornish was approached as a potential director for the film. In a 2021 interview with SlashFilm, director Adam Wingard shared that Peter Jackson wanted him as the director.
Jackson saw the director’s slasher film You’re Next and was interested in him. But the project went sideways after the movie rights ended up with Warner Bros. The studio later made Kong: Skull Island as a reboot project, as the second film in the Monsterverse. The film was helmed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and starred Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, and Brie Larson.
King Kong (2005) is now available for streaming on Peacock and AppleTV+, while Kong: Skull Island is now available on Max.
