Kong: Skull Island

The fact that Universal Studios has been constructing a brand new King Kong attraction at their Florida-based Islands of Adventure theme park has been a poorly kept secret for a long time now. Still, the official reveal of Skull Island: Reign of Kong is surely going to grab the interest of film fans and theme park enthusiasts alike. No company is as good at designing truly cinematic and technologically groundbreaking rides as Universal, and the announcement video is going to turn a lot of heads.

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.