‘King Kong’ Live-Action Series in Development at Disney+

Disney+ is heading to Skull Island for a live-action King Kong series that will explore the mystery and mythology of the giant ape’s home.

As reported by Deadline, the series is in the very early stages of development at the streamer, with Disney Branded Television behind the project. It is said to be based on the original 1933 film directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, as well as the recent novelizations by artist Joe DeVito.

Stephany Folsom (Paper Girls) is on board as writer and executive producer. James Wan (Aquaman) will also serve as executive producer alongside Michael Clear and Rob Hackett via their Atomic Monster banner and Dannie Festa of World Builder Entertainment.

King Kong has seen a resurgence in recent years due to Legendary Entertainment’s Monsterverse movies, including 2017’s Kong: Skull Island and 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong. However, the upcoming Disney+ series is not connected to the Monsterverse franchise. Legendary is currently working on its own Kong project for Apple TV+ and an anime spinoff for Netflix.

According to Deadline, the Disney+ series is a serialized action-adventure drama that will bring the classic monster story into the modern age. It will explore the origins of King Kong and the supernatural mysteries of Skull Island while at the same time introducing a new Kong.

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This isn’t the first time a King Kong series set around Skull Island has been attempted. A live-action series from a different creative team was previously in development at MarVista Entertainment and IM Global Television five years ago. This project was also based on Cooper’s King Kong and DeVito’s Skull Island novelizations. However, it did not see the light of day.

King Kong Live-Action Series, TBA, Disney+