Jackson says Kong's fur length yet to be decided

Peter Jackson

King Kong's fur length is still to be decided, film-maker Peter Jackson says.

"We are deciding on the length of his fur, how tangled it should be, how much gray to work around the eyes," he says.

Jackson is due to release its first "trailer" on the Internet tomorrow.

Photos of silverback gorillas had been superimposed on Kong's image, and tweaks were made, Jackson told the USA Today newspaper.

"He's not the Hulk of gorillas. That's the charm of Kong," he said. "He is past his prime and isn't the super-virile ape of 30 years ago."

But the newspaper warned viewers they had never seen King Kong as he is pictured in the new movie, due to be released on December 14.

"He might look older than the 1933 original, but he's still a hairy brute with a nasty temper and a weakness for blondes," it reported.

The 2-1/2 minute King Kong trailer will also screen in cinemas from Thursday (NZ time) as War of the Worlds opens in the northern hemisphere.

The preview of King Kong, starring Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts and Jack Black will be seen on 10 NBC-owned networks at lunchtime tomorrow (NZ time).

The trailer is due to play on the website of Volkswagen, a promotional partner of the movie, at 12.44pm tomorrow. It will be encoded in Quick Time technology, and will be available for 48 hours.

The movie primate stands 8m (real gorillas top out at 2m) and is 120 to 150 years old (30 is normal in the wild, 50 in captivity). The most notable feature on the battered beast is his snaggletooth, USA Today reported.

"We had the notion that Kong's jawbone was smashed in an ancient fight and mended itself at a crooked angle," said Jackson.

Watts said here her relationship with Kong was more evolved than in the original or the derided 1976 remake with Jessica Lange.

"He's not picking off my clothes or blowing me dry with his breath," she says. "It's much more tender. There is something incredibly attractive about his power and masculinity. And isn't that what we all want in a man?"

- NZPA