Peter Jackson Reveals New Composer and Documentary for King Kong

Director Peter Jackson, best known as the man behind the uber-successful "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, is currently finishing production on a remake of King Kong. Starring Naomi Watts (Oscar(R) nominated for "21 Grams"), Jack Black ("School of Rock") and Adrien Brody (Academy Award(R) winner for "The Pianist"), the film represents the fulfillment of another lifelong movie making dream for Jackson.

Fans of Jackson's work will soon have a unique DVD documentary that will show the director's filmmaking process like no other "making of " project ever has. "KING KONG Peter Jackson's Production Diaries," combines a full-color book with more than 50 pages, four stunning production conceptual art prints and two DVDs to create a step-by-step, first-hand account of the film's intense eight-month production process. Included in this limited edition collector's box set will be a numbered collector's letter of authenticity, an introduction by Jackson himself, and, as a special bonus, a fascinating, detailed look at the creation of a fierce battle between great ape and three T-Rex, one of the film's most exciting action sequences. Clips I've seen of this fight are amazing in detail.

Unfortunately, it was also announced this week that Jackson has parted ways with composer Howard Shore on this project. James Newton Howard, who has scored such films as "Batman Begins," "Signs," and "The Interpreter," will take over for Shore, who helmed the Grammy-winning soundtracks for all three of the "LOTR" films.

In a prepared statement about the change-up, Jackson simply said, "I have greatly enjoyed my collaborations with Howard Shore, whose musical themes made immeasurable contributions to 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. During the last few weeks, Howard and I came to realize that we had differing creative aspirations for the score of 'King Kong.' Rather than waste time arguing with a friend and trying to unify our points of view, we decided amicably to let another composer score the film. I'm looking forward to working with James Newton Howard, a composer whose work I've long admired, and I thank Howard Shore, whose talent is surpassed only by his graciousness."

"King Kong" is set to hit theaters December 14, 2005, just in time for the Christmas box office season. The documentary box set will be in stores one day earlier on December 13, 2005, and will carry a retail price of $39.98. But if you want to save a bit of money, pre-order it at Amazon via this link, and save 30% off the retail price.

For more information on the film, please visit www.kingkongmovie.com.