"Kong: Skull Island," the "King Kong" prequel, is already in pre-production phase and it will star Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie is expected to begin filming in early 2016 in Australia.
"Kong: Skull Island" is an origin story of the famous ape, and it is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Legendary Pictures. It has been announced that portions of the movie will be shot in Queensland, while most of the scenes are to be filmed in two other international locations, Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
Annastacia Palaszczuk, the Premier of Queensland, has also confirmed the news. She said the filming will happen at the Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast and other nearby locations at the southeast of the state.
"Kong: Skull Island" will be the third movie that will take place in Australia this year. The first is the latest installment in the "Alien" film franchise, while the other film is Marvel Studios' "Thor: Ragnarok."
"Thor: Ragnarok," starring Chris Hemsworth will be directed by Taika Waititi, who is from New Zealand. It will shoot in Queensland as well, while Ridley Scott's "Alien" will be filmed in Sydney, The National reported.
Trace Vieira, CEO of Screen Queensland, said during a film conference that having secured the upcoming movie about Kong, along with international film production pipelines such as "Thor: Ragnarok," "The Nest 3D" and "The Shallows," shows that the beautiful locations, filmmaking capabilities, internationally-renowned team and world-class services are Australia's major draw cards.
The epic monster motion picture will be directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, known for "The Kings of Summer" movie and "Funny Or Die Presents" TV series. Tom Hiddleston, famous for his role as Loki in the Marvel Universe, will star as the heroic protagonist in the new King Kong movie, which is expected to unfold in the 1970s.
"Kong: Skull Island" is scheduled to hit theaters in March 2017 in 3D and IMAX 3D.
