Reilly (Step Brothers) is said to be the top choice to replace Michael Keaton, who also recently exited the film.
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Last month, Warner Bros.’ King Kong prequel Kong: Skull Island suffered a bit of a casting setback, when previously-announced stars J.K. Simmons and Michael Keaton backed out due to scheduling conflicts.
With a release date pegged for early 2017, Legendary has little time to waste if it is to fill in the vacant lead roles, and according to Deadline’s scoop, the company has its proverbial crosshairs on both Samuel L. Jackson and Tom Wilkinson. No details have been given for any of these actors’ roles. From my understanding this was also a role that Russell Crowe was up for. If he gets on board, he joins fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe co-star Tom Hiddleston, who is already confirmed for the project.
KONG: SKULL ISLAND will fully immerse audiences in the mysterious and unsafe home of the king of the apes as a team of explorers ventures deep inside the treacherous, primordial island. Legendary’s story honors the foundations of existing King Kong lore, but places it in an entirely new, distinct timeline.
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Legendary has Jordan Vogt-Roberts directing a script by John Gatins and Max Borenstein, and they are eying a production start of late this year or early 2016. I don’t mean as in how did he come to be on Skull Island, but rather how he will be created with visual effects.
