A full, comprehensive history of all things King Kong.
King Kong's 1933 debut was not just a terrifying monster movie, an epic fairy tale, and a tragic love story, it was also a landmark piece of cinema and the point of origin for deeply resonant cultural myth.
Its legacy encompasses a vast cinematic universe that includes ten movies (and counting), as well as novels, comics, television shows, collectibles, and even a Broadway musical.
In this extensively updated edition of the classic book first published two decades ago, King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon is the definitive chronicle of the most famous ape in pop-culture history. It spans the whole of the Eighth Wonder's filmography, chronicling in detail the conception, production, release, and legacy of each Kong movie beginning with the 1933 original, through Peter Jackson's 2005 remake, and on to the newest movies that place Kong within an ever-expanding “Monsterverse.” Author and Kongophile Ray Morton also offers entertaining detours through the character's incarnations in other media, plentiful trivia, and reflections on the franchise's enduring appeal. Packed with photographs and based on extensive new research and exclusive interviews, this is by far the most complete and comprehensive guide to all things Kong.
The 2005 book King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson covered the six King Kong movies that had been produced up at that time: King Kong (1933), The Son of Kong (1933), King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962), King Kong Escapes (1967), King Kong (1976), and King Kong Lives (1986), providing in-depth chapters chronicling the conception, production, release, and legacy of each film.The book also contained chapters on other Kong-related projects, as well as a brief preview of Peter Jackson’s 2005 King Kong remake, which had not yet opened at the time of the book’s publication and so could not be examined in depth.
Since the book’s publication, Jackson’s film was released and two additional Kong films have been produced: 2017’s Kong: Skull Island and 2021’s Godzilla Vs. Kong. There has also been a major Broadway musical version of the story, two new animated series, and a number of novels, comic books, and graphic novels. There is also a new film on the way: Godzilla Vs. Kong 2, which is currently slated for release in 2025.
With so much new Kong material to cover and a new Kong film on the way, this expanded and updated version of the book is the most complete, thorough, and comprehensive history of the cinematic King Kong possible.
A full, comprehensive history of all things King Kong.
