Originally announced during this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, Skull Island will star The Avengers actor Tom Hiddleston, who became a household name thanks to his role as the diabolical villain Loki in Marvel’s cinematic universe — a character popular enough to feature prominently in three of the studio’s films (Thor, The Avengers, and Thor: The Dark World). There’s no word on how his character will end up on Skull Island or whether the film will connect with any of the previous King Kong movies, but with studio Legendary Pictures also responsible for Pacific Rim, Godzilla, Wrath of the Titans and other recent, giant-monster movies, there shouldn’t be any doubt about the visual potential for a movie about an island full of massive, fantastic creatures.
Directing the King Kong origin story will be Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the filmmaker responsible for 2013’s coming-of-age story The Kings of Summer, which received significant acclaim and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Vogt-Roberts is also reportedly in talks to direct the Metal Gear Solid movie for Sony, based on the hit video game series.
Skull Island will be written by Godzilla screenwriter Max Borenstein, and is expected to hit theaters November 4, 2016.
