Can't Wait Till Dec? Classic Kong Hits DVD In Nov!!

Hey guys, it's Donnie...Peter Jackson is one of those filmmakers that just instantly elevates my interest in a project. I'm sure I would have been moderately interested in a King Kong remake no matter who was making it, but with Jackson at the helm, I'm practically frothing at the mouth. It's gonna be one of, if not THE biggest release of the year.

Now, I've never seen the original Kong, not in its entirety, and for whatever reason, I've never felt the need to really seek it out either. It's just one of those movies that is so iconic that I know essentially what happens in it and I just sort of trust that it's really great without having actually seen it. That being said, the original 1933 King Kong will hit DVD shelves on November 22 and it just jumped to the top of my list, and a big part of that excitement comes from Peter Jackson.

Jackson has been putting together extra features for the classic DVD while working on his own remake, and some of this looks really cool. I'm gonna let the boys from The Digital Bits take over on the description. (I have lots to post about today and little time to do it, so I'm being a little bit lazy...)

Peter Jackson is helping to produce extras for the forthcoming edition, even as he works on his own theatrical remake. Specifically, Jackson is working on a new 2-hour/7-part documentary, RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World, that will be included on the set. Among other things, the documentary will include a segment on the infamous "spider pit" deleted scene (including a recreation of the lost footage). Other extras on the Kong release will include a documentary on director Merian C. Cooper, trailers for other films by Cooper, and audio commentary by legendary stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, actress Terry Moore and special effects guru Ken Ralston. Warner's King Kong will be available in no less than THREE versions - a 2-disc special edition, a 2-disc collector's edition packaged in (according to the story) "a collectable tin and including a 20-page reproduction of the original souvenir program, postcard reproductions of the original one sheets, and a mail-in offer for a reproduction of a vintage 27-by-41-inch movie poster", and finally a 4-disc collector's box set which includes the 2-disc King Kong DVD along with The Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young. Each version will contain the same two Kong discs (just the packaging and the "in the box" extras differ).

Harry Knowles at Ain't It Cool says that he also recorded an interview for the DVD, so we'll see if he makes it on there as well. I hope so, as he's the only person whose love for King Kong even comes close to rivaling Peter Jackson's.