Image Credit: Photofest NYC
In the current age of remakes and sequels and prequels and reboots and preboots, resurrecting a classic film from the viewpoint of the original’s villain sometimes qualifies as “outside the box” thinking. For example, there’s Malificent, Disney’s plan to tell the Sleeping Beauty tale from the point of view of the sorceress; and Pan, in which Aaron Eckhart’s Captain Hook will be a hero detective on the trail of child killer. (Heck, the entire Star Wars prequels were about getting to the heart of Darth Vader!)
Now Fox Animation is planning an animated version of King Kong, told from the ape’s point of view, according to Deadline. To be fair, King Kong isn’t a true villain, and all three of the major Hollywood films depict him as a lovesick sap who dies trying to protect his forbidden love. Being animated, though, I assume we’ll at least get to hear the poor lug verbalize his heartbreak, you know, Sydney Carton-like.
I’m actually rooting for these anti-heroes to break-out in their respective remakes, because some of my favorite characters might then have an opportunity to star in their own vehicle. Take Hans Gruber from Die Hard, for example. It wouldn’t take much work to turn his brilliant thief into a Danny Ocean-type targeting the stolen riches of a callous corporate conglomerate. Or Mr. Potter from It’s a Wonderful Life: Joel Surnow (24) could direct this patriot’s lifetime fight to weed out the corrupting influence of sunny-faced socialism in a small town.
What villain would you pay to see in his or her own movie?
Read more:
20 All-Time Vilest Villains in Pop Culture
This movie sounds like absolute garbage! What, exactly, is the point of a film like this? The storyline of the original and Peter Jackson’s remake were more than good enough. At a time when Hollywood has proven time and time again that they are completely out of new and fresh ideas, this is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Ironic, considering your comment is the most often repeated comment on the internet. And it’s meaningless to boot.
Was king kong even a villain? The way I remember the original and Peter jackson’s adaptation is that you were meant to see him as a sympathetic character.
Yup
He wasn’t a villain. The humans took him to NYC and he just happened to be in love with the girl (can’t reember her name). When eh escaped he was getting shot at and stuff and like every animal freaked out. self defense at best. In no way was he a villian.
He was a villain in the 1933 movie. No one back then sympathized with the giant man-eating ape.
The most asinine aspect of this appears to be a total lack of understanding of the fillms themselves. Peter Jackson’s Kong is pretty much all from Kong’s point of view the minute he shows up, and Kong is relatively sympathetic even in the original.
It’s a terrible idea to do this from the POV of King Kong. If someone wants to produce something like this, talk to Neil Gaiman and put his story “Snow, Glass, Apples” on-screen. It tells about the “wicked” stepmother’s story in Snow White and basically exposes “what really happened.”
Wasn’t this idea already done with Donkey Kong Jr.?
Wicked is basically from the Wicked Witch of the West’s viewpoint (and I’m STILL waiting for the movie of the musical to be made!!)
Haha this was my first thought as well! I need there to be a Wicked movie very soon (preferably with Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenowith starring)
I’d prefer a more faithful adaptation of the book.
My first thought, too. I loved the musical. And at the end you are definitely sympathizing with Elphaba (aka The Wicked Witch of the West). I’ve never read the book but I really should seeing as I liked the story (not just the songs) of “Wicked” so much.
This sounds like junk, but on the subject of making it all from the villains POV, the Robin Hood film with Russell Crowe that came out last year was SUPPOSED to be called Nottingham and have the Sheriff as the main character. Then we got that unwatchable turd instead.
I actually liked that movie lol
Cant wait for the musical number (you know there are gonna be musical numbers) “I’m falling(off a building) for your love”
Didn’t Warner Brothers already do this in the 90s? It was called The Mighty Kong. And it was a musical too. There’s really no need for this. Fox Animation needs to come up with better ideas in the future. First then announcing Seth MacFarlane rebooting The Flintstones, now this? Have they really ran out of unique and original ideas?
Yes. A long time ago.
What other misunderstood heavy deserves a second chance? Umm… Mike Tyson??
Yet again Hollywood goes to the vault once too often. I have 2 words for the collective “you” (creative types): ORIGINAL IDEAS! Try them.
The Phantom from Phantom of the Opera.
I thought of this as well. It has been awhile since a (non-musical) telling of “Phantom.” I happen to be a huge fan of the cheesy ’70s film “Phantom of the Paradise” and it definitely has a sympathetic Phantom in it.
The grass from The Happening.
Not the first 2D animated King Kong – Saturday mornings 1966 or so – Rankin and Bass productions. The Ape was the hero. “King Kong, you know the name of King Kong. You know the fame of King Kong, ten times as big as a man.”
sounds like utter garbage ,if they want to show something from villians point of view try something else maybe afriday the 13th prequel with young jason,or a dracula prequel,or maybe abook about grand moff tarkin but not this crap i know iam in the minority when i say this but “todays animated films are way overrated aladin lion king cars toy story shrek “