Hobbit director to get 20 mln dlrs and star Naomi Watts for “King Kong”
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – “Lord of the Rings” film director Peter Jackson has won a huge 20 million dollar deal to remake “King Kong” and wants Australian actress Naomi Watts as his star, it was reported.
Daily Variety said Universal Studios will pay Jackson, acclaimed for the “Rings” trilogy, the last installment of which is due out in December, 20 million dollars against 20 percent of the movie’s gross ticket receipts.
The daily said that news of the almost unprecedented pay-cheque deal has stunned Hollywood studio chiefs who are reportedly fuming about the deal which they fear could set a precedent for other top directors.
Most top Tinseltown film-makers get paid between 10 and 12 million dollars for a major picture, Variety said.
The industry press also said that New Zealander Jackson was eyeing fellow antipodean Naomi Watts for the lead role as the object of the giant ape’s desire in the movie scheduled to hit the big screen in 2005.
Variety and Hollywood Reporters said that while no deal had yet been signed for the “Mulholland Drive” and “The Ring” star to take on the role of actress Ann Darrow in the movie, Jackson had made her an offer.
If British-born Watts, 34, is signed for the picture, she would follow in the footsteps of Fay Wray who starred in the original 1933 classic and Jessica Lange, who recreated the role in 1976.
Jackson, 42, who is still completing post production on “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” is expected to start writing the “King Kong” script in November and plans to shoot next summer.
He will be re-teaming up with his “Rings” writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and the movie will be shot in New Zealand, Variety said.
Jackson has wanted to re-make the classic ape epic for years, but only won the go ahead from Universal earlier this year following his global success with the risky 270-million-dollar “Rings” project.
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