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King Kong Series Brings Together Disney+, James Wan's Atomic Monster

Published Tue, 23 Aug 2022 18:16:11 -0500

So it looks like Disney+ (via Disney Branded Television) and James Wan (along with production company Atomic Monster) is getting into the King Kong business in a very big way, with Deadline Hollywood reporting exclusively that development is underway for a series focusing on the original story of the powerful ape. With Stephany Folsom (Paper Girls) set to write, King Kong (working title) is a serialized action/adventure drama that brings the classic monster story into the modern age, with a return to Skull Island and the dawn of a new Kong. The series will explore the mythology of King Kong's origin story and the supernatural mysteries of his home based on IP from Merian C. Cooper's original novels as well as new King Kong novelizations by Joe DeVito. Wan may potentially direct at least part of the series but will executive produce alongside Folsom, Michael Clear & Rob Hackett for Atomic Monster, and Dannie Festa for World Builder Entertainment.

The 90-year-old King Kong IP has had its fair share of rights issues over the decades, resulting in the character being seen on the big and small screens in various forms. From a series standpoint, the live-action series King Kong Skull Island was originally announced five years ago at MarVista Entertainment & IM Global Television with a different creative team, but the project never made it past the early development stages. Recently, you've probably seen and heard Kong's name used in conjunction with Legendary & Warner Bros. Discovery's "Monsterverse" film franchise (though dropping the "King" title) for 2017's Kong: Skull Island, 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong. Though Apple TV+ has announced a streaming series set within the movie universe, the project will focus on Godzilla and other "Titans." In addition, Netflix was also home to the animated series Skull Island.

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