The greatest ape of all time returns to the big screen next year in the prequel film Kong: Skull Island, but all we’ve seen of King Kong before this week were fleeting glimpses and blink-and-you-miss-it teases of the movie monster fondly regarded as “The Eighth Wonder of the World.”
In a new trailer for the March 2017 film, however, Kong finally stands revealed — and he’s not alone on the mysterious island.
Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures premiered a new trailer for Kong: Skull Island during Wednesday night’s episode of late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live, and the new preview not only puts Kong front and center, but it also reveals quite a bit of the film’s nonhuman supporting cast — including some of the other terrifying monsters that inhabit the island.
Directed by The Kings of Summer filmmaker Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Kong: Skull Island is based on a script initially penned by Godzilla screenwriter Max Borenstein, and later revised by Oscar-nominated Flight screenwriter John Gatins. The film is set before the events that led to Kong being taken off the island in other films, and follows a group of scientists and soldiers sent to the mysterious jungle island on a mission that turns out to be far more complicated — and dangerous — than they expected after they cross paths with the island’s famous resident and protector. The film is intended to reboot the King Kong franchise, and possibly set the giant ape on a collision course with Godzilla in a future crossover film.
The Avengers actor Tom Hiddleston leads the film’s cast, which also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, Jing Tian, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham, and Toby Kebbell. The trailer also features actor John C. Reilly in a comedic role that hasn’t received much attention in earlier casting reports.
Kong: Skull Island is scheduled to hit theaters March 10, 2017.
