King Kong Tribute Thread (THE REAL KING KONG!)

[SpiderZilla]

Hmmm, It appears that I should rephrase my question on what I meant:

What are some fun ideas of your own, ignoring any outside/canon sources, of how Kong’s species (and possibly other mammalian/other Cenozoic life) got to the island? As for which version, I’d say it be the non-monsterverse ones. Instead, focus on the original’33 films, and Jackson’s. It can even be just on the general mythos of Skull Island overall, not tied to any film. Hopefully this cleared things up.

An ancient culture intentionally bred larger and larger generations of apes to defend themselves from the island’s dinosaur denizens. However the giant ape slaves revolted against their masters and began to demand tributes which over time became human sacrifices. The human culture declined and became more primitive. Without humans to manage their breeding the population of giant apes declined until only Kong remained.

[darthzilla99]

Skull Island is a part of the lost continent Mauritius. Mauritius was filled with Dinosaurs, Ice Age animals, mythological creatures, ect.. That's all I got so far.

[NSZ]

Skull Island is a part of the lost continent Mauritius. Mauritius was filled with Dinosaurs, Ice Age animals, mythological creatures, ect.. That's all I got so far.

Damn, guess someone better go and inform the Republic of Mauritius that it's not supposed to exist, then.

[edgaguirus]

Do you mean Lemuria?

[ArtMaker]

An ancient culture intentionally bred larger and larger generations of apes to defend themselves from the island’s dinosaur denizens. However the giant ape slaves revolted against their masters and began to demand tributes which over time became human sacrifices. The human culture declined and became more primitive. Without humans to manage their breeding the population of giant apes declined until only Kong remained.

That’s actually a pretty dope concept.

Added in 5 minutes 41 seconds:

Do you mean Lemuria?

Ah, the three lost continents; Atlantis, Lemuria and Mu. Also, I think that they’re referring to an actual lost continent under the name Mauritia, which in beneath Mauritius. It’s a real thing apparently.

[Pkmatrix]

Skull Island is a part of the lost continent Mauritius. Mauritius was filled with Dinosaurs, Ice Age animals, mythological creatures, ect.. That's all I got so far.

Damn, guess someone better go and inform the Republic of Mauritius that it's not supposed to exist, then.

Nah, man, he's talking about an actual real life lost continent:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritia_(microcontinent)

[NSZ]

Skull Island is a part of the lost continent Mauritius. Mauritius was filled with Dinosaurs, Ice Age animals, mythological creatures, ect.. That's all I got so far.

Damn, guess someone better go and inform the Republic of Mauritius that it's not supposed to exist, then.

Nah, man, he's talking about an actual real life lost continent:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritia_(microcontinent)

That is a wildly unhelpful wiki page, tbph

And it pretty much indicates that it was gone long before the Ice Age

[darthzilla99]

Damn, guess someone better go and inform the Republic of Mauritius that it's not supposed to exist, then.

Nah, man, he's talking about an actual real life lost continent:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritia_(microcontinent)

That is a wildly unhelpful wiki page, tbph

And it pretty much indicates that it was gone long before the Ice Age

I was simply looking for sunken continents in the Indian Ocean and Maurita popped up as an origin for Skull Island.

[ArtMaker]

It’d be hilarious if for a yearly event in New York that someone (a professional climber of course) in a gorilla suit scales the side of the Empire State Building to the very top. Well, close enough to the top anyways. Like what that one dude who used suction cups to climb one of Trump’s towers.

[Vakanai]

Abbot and Costello meet King Kong sounds like a promising idea for a film. Let's say that the two are animal trainers but get fired from the circus after they bungle an act. The two are then approached by a lovely woman, Fiona, who wants them to go to a remote jungle and find the biggest gorilla there. A beautiful dark-skinned woman, Teyla, tells them not to go, as it's far too dangerous and Fiona is leading them into a trap. The promise of money leads the two men to the remote jungle where they have comical encounters with animals and then natives, ruled by Fiona. Abbot and Costello are to be human sacrifices, but Teyla helps them escape into the jungle beyond the wall, where the natives will not go. Both Abbot and Costello are attracted to Teyla, leading to some rivalry between them. The three meet dinosaurs, and then Kong, who responds well to Teyla. Fiona and her warriors capture Teyla, and our pair, plus Kong, go to save her. Fiona is killed, and our comical pair ask Teyla which one she likes more. Teyla chooses Kong instead and reclaims her throne as rightful queen of the natives. Our heroes patch up their friendship and wonder how they're going to get back home. They'd be last seen rowing a boat and singing Row Your Boat.

Well that's definitely better than anything I would've come up with, great job! I can definitely see that now and wish it was a real old film I could watch.

Kong is semi-public domain from the novel, and the film will go public domain in some years; anyone know the copyright status of Abbott and Costello? I would love to try and help get like a comic book or something made like this one day.

Added in 5 minutes 9 seconds:

Kong could be just as flexible, provided you have an imaginative writer and team. Godzilla started out as a villain and evil force of destruction, but creative writers at Toho were able to come up with new ideas, directions, and themes for the character. Kong just needs that same creative force.

From my experience, not so much.

A reinterpretation I’ve proposed once and was very much hated was have Kong be a more antagonistic force, representing a abusive relationship, an ugly version of the beauty and beast trope. Cause well, while you can have sympathy towards the 8th wonder, he ain’t exactly a big puppy. Having most definitely maimed and killed a lot of people. No one ever seems to bring up his past sacrifices, all of either perished at his hand or some other Skull Island creature made a quick meal out of them. He saw Ann as nothing more than a plaything of his. Note, this is more in referral to the ‘33 film an small extent the ‘76. An inspiration for this was the 2020’s Invisible Man film. For comparison, Ann’s character growth would a mix of a final girl in horror film, Allen Ripley’s from Alien to Aliens condensed into one film, and Kevin from Home Alone. A game of cat and mouse as Ann tries to make her way across the monster infested island and back to the boat w/ an angry ape on her tail.

Suffice to say, not a lot of folks very much liked or cared for such a diversion.

Well count me in as one of the few who do like that idea then - Kong was definitely much more of a threat in the '33 original. I can definitely see a much more antagonistic role being relatively in character. My only question is would the men still capture Kong and bring him back to New York like in the original, or would they all just be happy enough to escape the island with their lives?

Added in 2 minutes 43 seconds:

It does go against tradition, and some won't like that, but your idea sounds exciting.

Look at K:SI. This Kong can be friendly to humans it doesn't perceive as a threat, but it's also a wilder creature that will attack and destroy anyone or thing that is. This Kong doesn't seek human company as well. Kong becomes much more human relatable in G vs K, but K:SI is an anti-hero Kong.

That’s a first. Thanks. : )

A idea I had for the climax in New York, Ann and Kong re-engage their game of cat and mouse from Skull Island, now the setting changed to the concrete jungle, with her luring Kong through the city and to follow her up the Empire State Building so the military can get a clear shot at him and get trapped, by sticking her head out the window and moving up a few floors to regularly entice him further up. He’d nearly get her at the highest floor (before the tower section), she gets the fire emergency axe and swing it into his fingers. Causing him to fall back down several floors. With the firehouse she lassos her way outside on the roof and finally up to the top of the tower where Kong once more has her in hand.

This interpretation of the phrase, “Twas beauty that killed the beast” being more literal.

And answered had I just read a little further. Like the climax!

[Pkmatrix]

Abbot and Costello meet King Kong sounds like a promising idea for a film. Let's say that the two are animal trainers but get fired from the circus after they bungle an act. The two are then approached by a lovely woman, Fiona, who wants them to go to a remote jungle and find the biggest gorilla there. A beautiful dark-skinned woman, Teyla, tells them not to go, as it's far too dangerous and Fiona is leading them into a trap. The promise of money leads the two men to the remote jungle where they have comical encounters with animals and then natives, ruled by Fiona. Abbot and Costello are to be human sacrifices, but Teyla helps them escape into the jungle beyond the wall, where the natives will not go. Both Abbot and Costello are attracted to Teyla, leading to some rivalry between them. The three meet dinosaurs, and then Kong, who responds well to Teyla. Fiona and her warriors capture Teyla, and our pair, plus Kong, go to save her. Fiona is killed, and our comical pair ask Teyla which one she likes more. Teyla chooses Kong instead and reclaims her throne as rightful queen of the natives. Our heroes patch up their friendship and wonder how they're going to get back home. They'd be last seen rowing a boat and singing Row Your Boat.

Well that's definitely better than anything I would've come up with, great job! I can definitely see that now and wish it was a real old film I could watch.

Kong is semi-public domain from the novel, and the film will go public domain in some years; anyone know the copyright status of Abbott and Costello? I would love to try and help get like a comic book or something made like this one day.

Because Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were real people, it's not copyright that applies but a different set of rules - likeness rights. There isn't a national standard on this (there REALLY should be, considering where we're going with deep fakes and everything), but the State whose laws matter most on this is California (naturally) and there it's Lifetime plus 70 years. Abbott passed away in 1974, so his likeness doesn't enter the public domain until 2044, while Costello passed in 1959 so his likeness enters the public domain in 2029. So at the moment their likenesses are still owned by their estates. To my personal surprise, they are not clients of CMG Worldwide (Talent Agency of the Dead).

[edgaguirus]

I suppose it would be possible to seek permission to use their likenesses, but it would likely be expensive.

[Vakanai]

Abbot and Costello meet King Kong sounds like a promising idea for a film. Let's say that the two are animal trainers but get fired from the circus after they bungle an act. The two are then approached by a lovely woman, Fiona, who wants them to go to a remote jungle and find the biggest gorilla there. A beautiful dark-skinned woman, Teyla, tells them not to go, as it's far too dangerous and Fiona is leading them into a trap. The promise of money leads the two men to the remote jungle where they have comical encounters with animals and then natives, ruled by Fiona. Abbot and Costello are to be human sacrifices, but Teyla helps them escape into the jungle beyond the wall, where the natives will not go. Both Abbot and Costello are attracted to Teyla, leading to some rivalry between them. The three meet dinosaurs, and then Kong, who responds well to Teyla. Fiona and her warriors capture Teyla, and our pair, plus Kong, go to save her. Fiona is killed, and our comical pair ask Teyla which one she likes more. Teyla chooses Kong instead and reclaims her throne as rightful queen of the natives. Our heroes patch up their friendship and wonder how they're going to get back home. They'd be last seen rowing a boat and singing Row Your Boat.

Well that's definitely better than anything I would've come up with, great job! I can definitely see that now and wish it was a real old film I could watch.

Kong is semi-public domain from the novel, and the film will go public domain in some years; anyone know the copyright status of Abbott and Costello? I would love to try and help get like a comic book or something made like this one day.

Because Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were real people, it's not copyright that applies but a different set of rules - likeness rights. There isn't a national standard on this (there REALLY should be, considering where we're going with deep fakes and everything), but the State whose laws matter most on this is California (naturally) and there it's Lifetime plus 70 years. Abbott passed away in 1974, so his likeness doesn't enter the public domain until 2044, while Costello passed in 1959 so his likeness enters the public domain in 2029. So at the moment their likenesses are still owned by their estates. To my personal surprise, they are not clients of CMG Worldwide (Talent Agency of the Dead).

I'm surprised that it isn't a national standard, like you said it really should be. But yay I learned something. Thank you for the informative answer.

Added in 18 minutes 51 seconds:

I suppose it would be possible to seek permission to use their likenesses, but it would likely be expensive.

Maybe, maybe not. I don't imagine that their estates make much money off their likenesses, I'm sure that there is some Abbott and Costello merch, but probably not a great deal. Most of the money they make has to come from royalties from whenever tv plays the old movies, or a small percentage of DVD sales. Possibly some streaming revenue if any of the streaming services have the films available. And I'm not really sure about that, as I know even less about how royalties work and how long they extend and for who than I did the difference between copyright and likeness rights, and I clearly didn't know that there was a difference. Bit of a tangent there, but I guess what I'm saying is that the estates might be willing to negotiate to a more inexpensive price just to get some new revenue. But I don't know.

It's mostly hypothetical anyways as I don't know how to get in contact with their estates, or how to find a writer, artist, and comic book publisher, or even how to begin researching into how one goes about it. And as I lack the funds personally I'd have to learn about those crowd sourcing fund me things too. But...not gonna lie, I'd be excited at the prospect of figuring it out if others shared my interest and we could decide how to direct our efforts to at least see if it's even something we could get done. Worst case scenario we could at least chip in for some artist commissions or something - I'd love to see a Mike Mignola rendition of the Eighth Wonder of the World for example.

Bah I'm crazy.

[ArtMaker]

Well count me in as one of the few who do like that idea then - Kong was definitely much more of a threat in the '33 original. I can definitely see a much more antagonistic role being relatively in character. My only question is would the men still capture Kong and bring him back to New York like in the original, or would they all just be happy enough to escape the island with their lives?

Thanks. : )

Another detail would be that Ann is in an abusive marriage, being the 30s and all, trapped very in a way that pretty much mirrors what later happens with Kong. She is almost caught packing her things, but she succeeds in leaving and heads to the harbour. To go where? Anywhere else, as long as it’s far away. She runs into Denham and although she senses some ulterior motive, she takes his offer and hops aboard the ship. This take is a lot more grungier and Ann is continually feeling isolated. Near the end the crew give up and figure the loss isn’t worth the gain. Ann now is on a time crunch as she see the smoke rise from the ship and see they’re ready to set sail. Ann, now noticing a river that heads towards the native village, manages to get down to the river and make through the island quickly w/ Kong hot on her trial once more. After the beast’s capture, Ann stops and ponders the idea of staying on the island. Sure, she knows she might not last long, but it’d be by her own accord and choice. Free. She 2nd guesses herself and returns to civilization. Back to the shit life she had. Also, Kong kills her husband during his escape. That being one of the reasons why Kong gets agitated.

[ArtMaker]

Not King Kong, but personally, I could definitely see be passed off as a iteration of them:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SpeculativeEvo ... ldadapted/


To me, it looks like a more ape version of that “realistic Kong“ art piece from years back. If this was the case, I can see this version be used in the form of a documentary in the same vain as that “Dragons: a Fantasy Made Real”, only for Skull Island.

[SpiderZilla]

This has bugged me for a long time. In the movie poster for King Kong (1976), what is Kong holding in his right hand?



An earlier draft of the poster showed him holding a fighter jet (see below), but it was replaced with something else in the final version. I just never figured out what that something else is meant to be.

[CyberZilla]

Might be an airliner or some sort of really crumpled up train. It’s hard to figure out.

[daveblackeye15]

I always thought it was an explosion, a helicopter or jet but yeah I guess there's more metal in his hand than I ever noticed. I love how I realized that Dwan should be like 15 feet tall with that scaling.

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

I watched the three hour long version of Kong '76, and it's worth at least one watch for those that enjoy the film. Several scenes are extended or given alternate dialogue, and yes there is a little more King Kong from my understanding. I'm bringing it up since there's the added scene before the climax where we see fighter jets being loaded with missiles at an airbase before their commander yells "No! Just take the choppers!".

I do think this film does a unique spin on the tragedy of Kong's death since it givens Dwan what she wants in a twisted way: she gets the fame as a star like she always wanted...but it's when she's breaking down crying in front of countless cameras and people. And Kong's body is right behind her, and Jack is lost in the distance, stopping in his tracks at the entire sight. It's tragic for Kong, and a cruel twist of fate for Dwan. Like Jack mentioned earlier, this is something that is on their hands for the rest of their life.

[ArtMaker]

Here’s a fun question: What other species of apes/monkeys (or possibly non-primate/ape-like animals) would you consider as a influence/inspiration for Kong if you were in charge of a reinterpretation? We’ve seen orangutans, chimps, gorillas and varying combos of traits of the aforementioned three that a majority of other creators have whipped up. Anything to add?