http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000474714

Jack Black as Carl Denham?

No doubt that Jackson is talented, and Black was good in "High Fidelity" , but I'm having a hard time imaging this. I guess it's possible Jackson could rein in Black and he might be good.

Denham would be a hard role to cast, Kevin Spacey is the best choice that come immediately to my mind....

If you read the script it is possible for Black to play Denhem but what I find weird is back in 1996 Jackson wanted Clooney or Deniro for that part... Black came out of nowhere.

Travis

I have already started getting my headshot and resume together to send to Jackson's casting agent for this movie. I hope I can get an audition and maybe even a part.

T.

Well, I was excited about the project. Not anymore.

Cool! I think Jack Black could pull it off as Carl Denham.
Just give Jack Black a shave, 30's era haircut and clothes and Boom! Instant over the top and out of his mind showman going to whatever lengths it would have to take to create the biggest spectacle ever imagined in the history of entertainment while making a few bucks as well doing it.
Of course Black would have to learn to use 1930's lingo, like the original movie.
I'm one of the few who likes the casting so far.

Blacks great.

Maybe Jackson wanted someone who looked like he does for the role! :dude:

Cool! I think Jack Black could pull it off as Carl Denham.
Just give Jack Black a shave, 30's era haircut and clothes and Boom! Instant over the top and out of his mind showman going to whatever lengths it would have to take to create the biggest spectacle ever imagined in the history of entertainment while making a few bucks as well doing it.
Of course Black would have to learn to use 1930's lingo, like the original movie.
I'm one of the few who likes the casting so far.

I concur. Why, exactly, should Jack Black not be able to convincingly play a huckster? :confused:

Well the Denham role in the original wasn't all that "comedic", but Charles Grodin's take on the part in the seventies was, so I don't know....

The thing that bothers me is that Jack Black, while being really funny, does basically the same performance over and over (ie: himself). It doesn't matter if he's the psychotic marine from "Mars Attacks" or gatling gun fodder in "The Jackal", it's always the same guy....and that guy isn't Carl Denham.

I just can't picture Jack in a thirties style double breasted suit or Banana Republic/Skull Island jungle wear. Actually I can, and the image is very funny....but in a bad, kill your movie's drama kind of way.

How bad would LOTR have been if Merry or Pippin had been played by Rob Schneider and David Spade? That's the kind of bad feeling I get when I hear about this.

On the other hand, Naomi Watts is a fine Wray/Lange substitute.

D.

Yeah, Jack Black can play a good BS artist, which is what Denim was all about. I picture somebody taller and older, though.

What's he gonna do?

Pull up on the beach at Skull Island, drop to his knees and play air guitar?

Maybe utter a soon-to be-classic line like, "Dude, this island rocks."

He's a one note actor...same performance every time. At least it's not Adam Sandler.

Jackson is apparently circling Adrien Brody as Driscoll.
The cast is getting uglier by the day ;)

I still cant get past Black's "performance" in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. He's the kiss of death for Jackson's new Kong. Too bad.

And now Adrien Brody's Driscoll? This is getting really odd.

I'm thinking guys like Bill Paxton or Robbie Coltrane for Denham.

Anthony LaPaglia or Liev Schreiber for Driscoll. Hell, even Brendan Frasier might be good in a "fun" kinda way.

Clearly the PJ wants the males in the cast to be offbeat looking. Naomi Watts is going to be a beauty surrounded by more than one beast in this flick.

Oh well.

So everybody's a critic. Hey, I recall similar thoughts when Marky Mark first turned to "serious acting". I'm willing to let them prove their worth as actors before condemning them to type-cast purgatory. Jackson doesn't suck either. He might have some influence on how it'll turn out.

We4ll...if you want offbeat, you could alwaqys go for Jonathan LaPaglia as well LOL

For what it's worth I've read the script 3 times already and I can see why Jack Black was a choice because the Denham in Jackson's Kong is a sarcastic, whimsical businessman that is funny but a sad man at the same time. I think Jackson's directing can get what he needs out of Black. Think how Johnny Depp played Ed Wood... He was a sad individual and covered up his shortcomings as a human being with sarcasim and male shovenistic behavior... Jackson's Denhem is very much like Burton's Ed Wood in that he's excentric to the 10th power and totally believes in what he does but doesn't always go about the best way to do it. In this I can see Black playing it. Jackson will tone down his goofball image and give us the "Goods" Remember Peter is the ultimate "Fanboy" and he knows what he is doing.

Orlando Bloom has a mohawk and is a skateboard type but was cast as Legolus in the LOTR Trilogy and was nothing like his trueself... It's called acting and good direction.

****EXAMPLE****
WARNING** I do not consider this a spoiler but it is a little bit of the script to see what kind of person Denhem is***
There is a scene close to the beginning where Denham and his crew are filming a Tiger scene for their movie and when the tiger is let out of the cage he is persuaded to walk towards the camera by laying a piece of meat near the cameraman Herb. As the tiger approaches Herb and the camera they all realize that the Tiger doesn't go for the meat. Mr. Glinting turns to Denhem and says "He doesn't want the meat ...(panicked) Man Eater!!! Denhem says "A man eater! Fantastic! (megaphone) Making history, Herb... This is the kind of man Jackson's Denhem is, childlike- funny but wrong at the same time. Below I have copied and pasted the whole little scene where you can see Black saying alot of this dialogue... Enjoy


*****MINOR and I mean MINOR spoilers*****

DENHAM
Tell me Mr Ginting - are there any parts of your country where people
still wear ... native costume?

MR GINTING
Native costume?

DENHAM
Y'know ... traditional ceremonies where the woman ...
divest themselves of their undergarments.

DENHAM gestures at his chest ... MR GINTiNG is confused.

DENHAM (CONT'D)
Hooters, Mr Ginting. There's nothing the public like to see more than
native hooters.

PEEK snickers. MR GINTING frowns.

MR GINTING
We are a very modest and deeply religious people, Mr Denham.

DENHAM
(grunting)
That's too bad.

A NOISE from the jungle - DENHAM suddenly leaps to his feet.

DENHAM (CONT'D)
He's close, boys - Roll camera! Roll sound!


HERB rolls camera ... the WHIRRING MOTOR is the only sound in the clearing - even the BIRDS are suddenly quiet ...BRANCHES SNAPPING ... LEAVES SHAKING -SOMETHING is approaching from inside the dense jungle...

TENSE FACES! DENHAM ... MR GINTING ... KURT ... HERB wipes a bead of sweat from his brow without taking his eye off the eyepiece ... A GASP is heard from the GROUP as the bushes part and out steps the mighty ...

SUMATRAN TIGER! It warily steps into the clearing, regarding HERB with suspicion. He can barely breath as he pans, following the TIGER'S movements.

DENHAM (CONT'D)
(loud megaphone)
Looking good Herb! Stand by for the roar ... here we go!

DENHAM lowers his MEGAPHONE and throws a large STONE, hitting the TIGER on the back! The TIGER ROARS!

DENHAM (CONT'D)
Boy! Were those teeth in focus, Herb?

HERB
(choked whisper)
Yeah!

The TIGER sniffs the meat ... REJECTS IT ...

MR GINTING
(quiet)
He doesn't want the meat ...

He SNARLS AT HERB ...

MR GINTING (CONT'D)
(panicked)
Man Eater!!!

DENHAM
A man eater! Fantastic!
(megaphone) Making history, Herb

PEEK
For Gods sake! Get him outta there!

DENHAM
Just a few more seconds ...

The TIGER suddenly springs on HERB! The cameraman SCREAMS...


Travis

Jackson doesn't suck either. He might have some influence on how it'll turn out.

Nah! Jackson's already proven by his past record that he doesn't know what the hell he's doing as a filmaker. :devil:

Jack Black as Carl Denham...............I think it's a brilliant choice Jackson made.............Why, It's stupendous. It's the greatest thing the world has ever seen!

Xactohazzard,

Is that the most recent screenplay or the one Jackson wrote several years ago? My understanding is that they are doing a page one rewrite to make it less "flippant," so this may not reflect what the final movie will be like.

Hmmm...

Naomi Watts is going to be a beauty surrounded by more than one beast in this flick.

LOL :lol:

That is an except from the 1996 script but I'm sure the rewrite involves the feeling of scenes changing but I'm sure the Denham stuff will remain relatively the same. Yes Jackson and Walsh are way better writers now then before LOTR and I am confident that the writing for Kong will be amazing.

Travis

My thought in how good Jack Black will be as Denham is that it will be in proportion to how effectively Peter Jackson can keep him from acting like Jack Black.......

Still think Kevin Spacey would be a better choice, I can him him saying, "We're gonna be millionaires, boys!..And I'll share it with each of ya!"

Adrian Brody might make an interesting Driscoll.

And now Adrien Brody's Driscoll? This is getting really odd.

I'm thinking guys like Bill Paxton or Robbie Coltrane for Denham.

Anthony LaPaglia or Liev Schreiber for Driscoll. Hell, even Brendan Frasier might be good in a "fun" kinda way.

Clearly the PJ wants the males in the cast to be offbeat looking. Naomi Watts is going to be a beauty surrounded by more than one beast in this flick.

Oh well.

Liev Schreiber would probably be good as Denham("RKO-182") OR Driscoll ("Sum of all Fears")

Kevin Spacey, eh?

Kevin Spacey, eh?


THAT'S a little scary....

Bump.
... even tho' this is old news Andy Serkis is gonna redo his Gollum thing and play King Kong.

Why not get Jack Nicholson as Denham?
Nicole Kidman as Darrow,

but WHO WILL BE Kong?? Bakers too old,and he's been ther- done that.

Robby Coltrane? Wasn't he in the Blackadder Christmas special?

How bad would LOTR have been if Merry or Pippin had been played by Rob Schneider and David Spade? That's the kind of bad feeling I get when I hear about this.

On the other hand, Naomi Watts is a fine Wray/Lange substitute.

D.
Ok. This is silly. Who can argue that any of the roles in LOTR, SHOULD have been played by another actor.
Also what other actors were considered for those parts and after seeing those movies would have RATHER seen those actors in those roles.

If you thought Jackson did a good job on the 'Rings' idea then why not trust him on King Kong.

While even I myself think the idea of Black as Carl is kind of kooky, I trust Jackson and am eager to see what he has in mind. Black is an actor and Jackson wouldn't have picked him if he didn't think he'd get what he wanted out of him.

Leave well enough alone. I wish they stop "trying" to remake classic films.
The 1977 remake was laughed out of the theaters. The early Godzilla films were more hi-tech looking.
It's like that Gawd awful Tim Burton "Planet of the Apes" crap. Chuck Heston could kick Marky Mark's butt any day of the week. Even being sick with alztimers. Mr. Heston's cameo couldn't save that film, nor Linda (Nova)Harrison's. Maybe they should have shown her in the fur two piece again.
What's next a remake of "Casablanca" starring Brad Pitt and Jennifer Ansiton? There's some "talent".

What's next a remake of "Casablanca" starring Brad Pitt and Jennifer Ansiton? There's some "talent".

They already tried that once with David "Starsky & Hutch" Soul as Rick. Hard as it is to believe, it was not a hit.

Leave well enough alone. I wish they stop "trying" to remake classic films.
The 1977 remake was laughed out of the theaters. The early Godzilla films were more hi-tech looking.
It's like that Gawd awful Tim Burton "Planet of the Apes" crap. Chuck Heston could kick Marky Mark's butt any day of the week. Even being sick with alztimers. Mr. Heston's cameo couldn't save that film, nor Linda (Nova)Harrison's. Maybe they should have shown her in the fur two piece again.
What's next a remake of "Casablanca" starring Brad Pitt and Jennifer Ansiton? There's some "talent".I think with Jackson at the helm it will be a good flick. As far as Black as denham, remember what people thought of Micheal Keaton as Batman, and he turned out to be the best one!! And Tobey Mcguire as Spiderman!!

And if you are interested in coming to New Zealand, then you can try out to be an extra for the movie filming in September.. You must be good at looking scared and screaming.

Send a head and full body shot to: Casting Dept, Big Primate Pictures, P.O. Box 15-109, Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand.


Oh and BTW, Andy Serkis (Gollum) will be playing King Kong.... At least he will be in the motion capture suit recording the moves the CGI Kong will be doing in the movie.
Andy will also play Lumpy the Cook.

Alien
Todays Kiwi (New Zealand) Language Primer:
"whinge" complain

Jack Black as Carl Denham I can live with (Reluctantly)

Jack Black as the Green Lantern?? Ohhh no, no, no....

http://screenrant.com/archives/000108.html

I think with Jackson at the helm it will be a good flick. As far as Black as denham, remember what people thought of Micheal Keaton as Batman, and he turned out to be the best one!! And Tobey Mcguire as Spiderman!!
I really dont see the reasoning there as soon as most people found out Tobey Mcguire was playing Spider Man it kind of clicked...
A real surprise was Ian McKellen playing Magneto, I didnt see that one coming.

Leave well enough alone. I wish they stop "trying" to remake classic films.
The 1977 remake was laughed out of the theaters. The early Godzilla films were more hi-tech looking.
It's like that Gawd awful Tim Burton "Planet of the Apes" crap. Chuck Heston could kick Marky Mark's butt any day of the week. Even being sick with alztimers. Mr. Heston's cameo couldn't save that film, nor Linda (Nova)Harrison's. Maybe they should have shown her in the fur two piece again.
What's next a remake of "Casablanca" starring Brad Pitt and Jennifer Ansiton? There's some "talent".

Man- When you're right you're Right ! I love the Original "Apes" so much I named my Son (now a 5 Year old) Taylor! I thought the Remake was gonna be an Amazing oppertunity to see the SAME Charchter's we'd come to love given the Hi-Tech Magic Availible today, boy was I wrong! I know this is gonna sound Strange but here is the Cast I envisioned for a POTA remake (Please keep in mind that I had been thinkin' about this for a few years.So Some of MY Cast would have worked IMHO at the time maybe NOT now!lol)

DR. Zauis.......Gary Oldman
Zira..............Linda Hunt (not Helen! lol this is a REAL Short Lady)
Nova............Madaline Stowe (IMHO She was Red Hot in the Early 90's Check out "Bad Girls" that all girl Western!)
Taylor.........Okay I Always thought Taylor Could/Should have been Played by the Guy from "L.A. LAW (Back Then) Corbin Bernson (sp) Well anyhoo this WAS my Casting years Ago! lol thanks for reading I came up with these guys AS SOON as I herd about a Possible remake lol it's fun Sometimes Dissapointing when (in the case of the Burton Apes) the casting is SOOOOO Far from what you could have possibly Imagined!
JOHN/LONFAN

After watching Kong last night in memory of Fay Wray, I have to say that there's no reason to remake this film, and that Black is probably the worst choice to play Carl Denham, who doesn't come off as a fool frat boy in the original, but a man on a mission.

The last laserdisc of this film (a double set with "Son Of Kong") looks superb; I'm sure the DVD will look even better. No one in Hollywood today could ever make a movie this good, so they shouldn't even try. Instead, they should put their money and energy into making something original that's worth watching. Or donate the $100 million to the poor, where it would do some good....

I think one of the reasons is "New" Hollywood HATES "Old" Hollywood.
New hollywood just can't understand how the "OLD run down Black and White films" stand the test of time. And the new ones are forgotten as soon as they are out of the theaters. Sometimes while they are in the theaters.
Example, there will only be
ONE Frankenstein monster: Karloff.
ONE Robin Hood: Flynn.
ONE Tarzan: Wesimuller.
O.K. TWO Draculas: Lugosi and Schreck.
ONE Lone Ranger and Tonto: Moore and Silverheels
TWO Supermans: Kirk Alan and George Reeves
ONE Taylor: Heston
YES AND ONLY ONE KING KONG!!!!!
And to George Lucas STOP messing with the original STAR WARS you just make it worst each time. Yes we all know (because you can't shut up about it) that special effects have advanced since 1977. DUH!
And a final note "Tootise" as one of the best comedies of all time? Please.

My wife made an interesting comment about Jack Black playing filmmaker Carl Denham in King Kong...... Doesn't he look quite like Peter Jackson himself.... Hmmmmm theres interesting casting for you.

Alien