Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Kong: Skull Island is preparing to head into production in Hawaii with stars Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson on board, but they’ve got one more stop to make before they officially begin shooting — Jurassic World screenwriter Derek Connolly has been tapped to do a little last-minute scripting on the project.

This has been a great week for J.K. Simmons (aka Just Keep Simmons), who won a Golden Globe and is nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role in ‘Whiplash.’ So, Mr. Simmons, you just won a Golden Globe and you’re primed for an Oscar win—what are you going to do next? He’s going to Detroit to shoot ‘Kong: Skull Island,’ which is definitely an interesting choice of location.

Casting for Legendary’s ‘Kong: Skull Island’ (previously titled ‘Skull Island’) has been a little slow-going. For several months, the only actor confirmed for the upcoming prequel was Tom Hiddleston, followed recently by J.K. Simmons. As if the cast wasn’t already shaping up to be particularly awesome, Legendary is now in talks with Michael Keaton to make it even cooler.

J.K. Simmons may not be a household name (yet), but he’s certainly a household face. His mere presence in a movie, whether it be a major character or brief cameo, is enough to bring any audience to attention. Few modern character actors are as good as he is and, as one of the frontrunners for a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his terrifying work in ‘Whiplash,’ he’s about to get some well-deserved recognition. So it shows a great deal of taste on the part of director Jordan Vogt-Robers that he has cast Simmons in the upcoming ‘Kong: Skull Island.’ Seriously, the mere presence of Simmons is just as exciting as a mystical island full of giant apes and dinosaurs.

One of our most anticipated upcoming, big budget projects is ‘Skull Island,’ the Legendary Pictures film which will take place on the fabled island that King Kong once called home. For fans wondering if Kong himself will be making an appearance in this epic new movie, it seems like we have an answer: Legendary has re-titled ‘Skull Island’ and pushed the release date back from 2016 to 2017, but we have a feeling the wait will be worth it.

We're definitely excited for 'Skull Island,' the upcoming King Kong prequel film from Legendary, the studio behind this year's 'Godzilla.' The film already had a script in place and is being directed by 'Kings of Summer' helmer Jordan Vogt-Roberts, but now it's getting a hand from screenwriter John Gatins, who was nominated for an Academy Award for the 2012 film 'Flight.'

The reveal of Legendary Pictures' 'Skull Island' was one of the few genuine surprises of this year's Comic-Con. The studio already had a teaser for the film set on the infamous island inhabited by King Kong, dinosaurs and other terrifying monsters, but it was lacking just about everything else. Now, those gaps are starting to get filled: Jordan Vogt-Roberts has signed on to direct, Tom Hiddleston will star, and the film itself will hit theaters on November 4, 2016.

Sony is looking to turn the hit video game 'Metal Gear Solid' into a film franchise, and are now in early talks with 'Kings of Summer' director Jordan Vogt-Roberts to be the man behind the camera. It would join the upcoming renaissance of video game movies that include the Michael Fassbender-starring 'Assassin's Creed' and the Tom Hardy-led 'Splinter Cell.'