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Kong: Skull Island Might Not Be A Prequel After All

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Upcoming monster movie ‘Kong: Skull Island,’ previously believed to be a prequel to the 1933 classic (or possibly the 2005 period-set Peter Jackson remake), might turn out to be something a little different than we had anticipated.

Universal and Legendary’s return to the world of the iconic giant ape has quite the kudos to it at present, thanks to the casting of Michael Keaton and JK Simmons, both of whom just won Golden Globes - and subsequently Oscar nominations - for their performances in ‘Birdman’ and ‘Whiplash’ respectively. Tom Hiddleston heads up the cast.

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Speaking to MTV shortly before his Golden Globes win, former ‘Spider-Man’ actor Simmons expressed uncertainty over the film’s title (“It’ll have something about King Kong and/or Skull Island in the title”), spoke highly of the director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, then proceeded to reveal an unexpected detail:

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"It’s set in Detroit in 1971, which is where I grew up. And we’re going to shoot in Detroit during baseball season, so I’ll be able to go to Tigers games. There’s a lot to like about this movie.”

Keaton, meanwhile, offered up no details on ‘Kong: Skull Island’ but heaped praise on his future co-star Simmons, declaring he was “incapable of giving a bad performance.”

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This 1971 setting is something of a revelation, which casts doubt over whether the term ‘prequel’ can really be applied to ‘Kong: Skull Island.’ Obviously it could not be set prior to the events of the 1933 original - and it would seem highly unlikely it would be intended to set the scene for the 1976 remake.

If you will forgive us going into over-enthusiastic speculation mode - could setting a ‘King Kong’ prequel in the 1970s be setting up further ‘Kong’ stories set in the present day? And might this just possibly mean Legendary could be laying the groundwork for a crossover with that other iconic monster they successfully revived last year - namely ‘Godzilla?’

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Okay, maybe we’re clutching at straws just a little there, but the monsters have met before in 1962’s ‘King Kong vs Godzilla’ - and in these days where every studio seems to be out to duplicate Marvel’s success at universe-building, it seems profoundly unlikely that Legendary have not considered the possibility of a rematch.

Still, one movie at a time: we’ll look forward to seeing ‘Kong: Skull Island’ in cinemas on 10 March 2017. The sequel to ‘Godzilla,’ meanwhile, is due 18 June 2018.

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Picture Credit: WENN, Universal