LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A shaggy-haired, wooly-bearded Kiwi filmmaker is at the end of his epic journey. Peter Jackson has spent more than seven years developing, shooting and finishing his hugely successful trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." [More]

Director Peter Jackson is poised to flex his Hollywood muscle by securing a top male film star for his new project King Kong - he wants to lure George Clooney or Robert De Niro here. While Jackson is overseas attending The Return of the King premieres, he is also in talks with agents to cast stars for the $100 million remake, to be filmed in Wellington next year. Naomi Watts is in talks to play Ann Darrow, the female lead played by Fay Wray in the 1933 original film. [More]

The Dominion Post recently got director Peter Jackson to spill the beans on his planned remake of King Kong, which begins filming August 2004 in New Zealand on a budget of $200 million (a record $32 million of which Jackson will pocket). The filmmaker plans on spending January reworking the screenplay with partner Fran Walsh and writer Philippa Boyens. They expect a completed draft by February. [More]

'Director Peter Jackson, fresh from the Return of the King world premiere, will start work on his $200 million King Kong film in Wellington next month. Universal Studios is to pay Jackson a record $32 million to direct the film which is expected to provide between 1500 and 2000 jobs. "It's actually going to be easier. . . (than The Lord of the Rings) the logistics involved don't seem as daunting."' [More]

In this story from Stuff.co.nz, Peter Jackson told the reporter "he still had to edit an extended version of the third Lord of the Rings film for DVD late next year." According to the story, PJ hopes to finish it by Christmas. [More]

In an interview this week with the Toronto Star, Andy Serkis hinted that he could be donning the motion capture suit again, this time to become King Kong.

The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Naomi Watts may have the nod to be Ann Darrow, walking in Fay Wray's footsteps. [More]

From ComingSoon.net: Universal Pictures will pay "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy director Peter Jackson $20 million against 20% of the gross from the new King Kong movie, marking one of the largest deals ever made with a director. [More]