Gorosaurus will appear in the film
Hey this Kong shares a universe with Godzilla. Not to mention it would be a nice little Shout-Out to King Kong Escapes.- Jossed. There are no dinosaurs at all present in the film. Well, aside from an absolutely massive triceratops skull, Plus, if Goro is to appear in the Monsterverse later on, Legendary first must buy the rights to him.
A giant snake will appear
As a simple little homage to King Kong (1976).- Jossed.
The film will not be a Continuity Reboot and will instead be a prequel to King Kong (2005)
Universal is still using the 2005 version of Kong and Skull Island in marketing, merchandise and other avenues; see the upcoming ride Skull Island: Reign of Kong which is quite clearly based on the 2005 film and versions of Kong and Skull Island due to elements such as Kong and various creatures appearing as they do in the 2005 film as well as locations from the film such as the Wall and it's imposing gate appearing. Doing so would not make sense if Skull Island is to be a continuity reboot. Why open a ride using a version of a character that won't be relevant in a year? It would just cause confusion for the general public, especially since the ride is calling itself "Skull Island" and thus will make most assume it's connected to the upcoming film. The 2005 film will be retroactively added to the Kaiju Shared Universe. Godzilla vs. Kong will occur after Skull Island but before King Kong or will occur in the modern day with a handwave explanation for Kong's presence. Jack Black may cameo in Skull Island as Carl Denham showing him coming into possession of the map to Skull Island to set up the 2005 film.- One Problem: This Kong is supposed to go head-to-head with Legendary's Godzilla. How could Peter Jackson's Kong possibly stand up to that behemoth?
- Considering how crazy those two franchises are I wouldn't be surprised if they found a way, like getting him mutated or something.
- If the Godzilla vs. Kong movie is in the present day; maybe the government, firmly grasping the Idiot Ball, has been holding onto Kong's body and has finally found a way to clone him with the added bonus of him being larger and more powerful. Bonus points if someone in the film calls out how stupid the government scientists are for doing this.
- Jossed: Word is this will be set in The '70s.
- Actually, possibility of avoiding being Jossed: King Kong (2005) is the prequel to this one.
- Jossed. A recent interview stated that this film is in an alternate timeline. Plus Skull Island is shaped much differently than in Peter Jackson's version.
- Also, according to Weta Workshop's The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island, an earthquake sank the island in 1948.
- Jossed. A recent interview stated that this film is in an alternate timeline. Plus Skull Island is shaped much differently than in Peter Jackson's version.
A younger Ishiro Serizawa will appear in this film
If we assume that Dr. Serizawa in the 2014 film is roughly the same age as Ken Watanabe (i.e., in his mid-50s), he'd be in his early teens when this film is reportedly set.
- Jossed. He does not appear in the film.
We'll get a version of the "An ant has no quarrel with a boot." exchange in this film.
Both Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson are in a film about King Kong! The Actor Allusion opportunity here is just too good to pass up!
- Unfortunately jossed.
This movie will lift directly from the 1976 movie
The 2005 movie had many different lines and plot points lifted directly from the original 1933 that were expanded upon as well the basic story structure. Skull Island would most likely do the same with the 1976, expanding upon plot points and lifting portions of the script directly while being far more Darker and Edgier. However, considering Skull Island is supposed to set in the same universe as Legendary's Godzilla, the darker aspects will be far more realistic than the 2005 version, ie Everything Is Trying to Kill You will still apply, but will far more realistic. Minus the giant snake mentioned in the previous WMG, of course.
MUTOS will appear in the film
Specifically, there will be a scene where the human crew will be running away from what are apparently juvenile/baby MUTOs until Kong arrives and proceeds to kill them all. However, the fight will be very intense with the horde equally matched against the big ape, and Kong's victory will be hard fought. One of the human crew observing the fight will then comment that if a gigantic, man-eating ape that could easily kill carnivorous dinosaurs have so much trouble against the MUTO, he would hate to see what the adult MUTOs are like. Cue the 2014 version of Godzilla.- The term "massive unidentified terrestrial organism" appears in one of the trailers, but it apparently refers to any kind of kaiju, not just the MUTOs from Godzilla (2014).
- Jossed. As stated above the full version of the acronym is used, but as a general term.
The movie will be devoid of any romantic elements in regards to Kong
This movie is essentially setting up the character of Kong and leading up to the inevitable clash in Godzilla vs. Kong, and there's also the fact that Kong is about as big as Godzilla. While we might see a romance between the human characters, it would make more sense to focus on Kong's size and power instead of his potential romantic interest in humans.- Confirmed.
Gaw will be the films Big Bad.
For those who don't know there was a prequel novel to King Kong which explored his origins; Gaw is the leader of Death Runners, an intelligent breed of raptors of which Gaw grew to monstrous size - think Indominus Rex and you'll get a good idea what I'm talking about. Gaw was also the "God" the people of Skull Island worshiped before Kong took the throne. For the sake of Pragmatic Adaptation Gaw won't be an abnormally large raptor but a member of a species of giant monsters, perhaps a relative species to Godzilla's. In place of the Mutos as Godzilla's antagonists, Gaw will serve as Kong's antagonist.
- Jossed. The Big Bad is an Alpha Skullcrawler named Ramarak.
Skull Island will be the Godzilla-Kong Universe's version of Monster Island
Skull Island seems like the kind of place that would serve as a home not just for Kong, but all kinds of giant monsters, including ones like Godzilla. We might even see a cameo appearance from a monster like Mothra or Rodan.- Confirmed, natives of Skull have made drawings of the other major Kaiju.
Kong isn't fully grown in this film.
Not in the sense he's an infant, more that he's a teenager or adolescent. He's one hundred feet tall, which while massive is a little small to fight Godzilla (assuming the size hasn't been changed), but if he's not QUITE a full grown adult, it could make sense that he gets a good bit bigger in the decades until he fights Godzilla.- Confirmed, viral marketing reveals he is indeed an adolescent.
- Confirmed in the film itself by John C. Reilly's character.
Kong will kidnap Tom Hiddleston's character.
He's spent 80 years kidnapping beautiful women with which to climb symbols of Man's hubris. Now, in the time of LGBT acceptance, he finds himself on an island with one of the most beautiful men alive...- Jossed. He does save Mason and rescues Conrad a few times, but otherwise Conrad and the other survivors are of little concern to him, with the exception of Packard.
Kong will have his electrical powers like in King Kong vs. Godzilla
And like Godzilla's radioactive nature being worked into a biological explanation, Kong's will have a similar explanation.
- That's not far of a stretch. It would grant Kong greater combat capabilities, and there are plenty of animals in nature which utilize electricity. It would probably not be like the lightning-granted variant in the original King Kong vs. Godzilla, but instead be generated by muscle blocks similar to electric eels and catfish. It would be pretty darn cool either way.
- Jossed.
The movie will be Darker and Edgier, and possibly even R-rated
The movie is set during the Vietnam War (meaning at least some of the characters have PTSD) and takes place on Skull Island, a place that is home not only to a 100-ft. tall ape but potentially to other giant creatures such as dinosaurs and insects. It could easily end up being Darker and Edgier than both Godzilla (2014) and King Kong (2005), to the point that it could end up with an R-rating.- Jossed. It's PG-13. Though it is fairly violent and gruesome at times.
Randa knows about Godzilla
The guy is out to prove to the world that there are still monsters about. And what better monster story would there be than that of a radioactive dinosaur (and the Castle Bravo "tests" do fall in the time frame of his search)? Of course, he probably got shut down by the government before he could release his findings, so his trip to Skull Island might be his next shot at proving his theory.- All but said outright. He mentions early on in the film that the Castle Bravo tests were actually attempts to kill something, as well as having been on a ship attacked by what is presumed to be Godzilla
The film is a quasi-remake to King Kong (1976)
Much in the same way the 2005 film was an update for the original 1933 film, this movie might be taking a few cues from the 1976 version. It already has the correct time setting, the first remake being the only other Kong movie to take place in the 1970s. Kong also appears to be a brown-ish black and is bipedal, almost more like a scaled up bigfoot than a gorilla; which is exactly what the 1976 version did as well. Given that the 2005 version was so well received and was a virtual recreation of the original film, it might seem pointless for Skull Island to do the exact same thing and instead go a different route. And taking the good parts of the 1976 version, which deviated heavily from the 1933 original, might be the ticket. This troper isn't saying it'll be an exact remake, but elements of the 1976 version could well end up in Skull Island's DNA. The main human conflict will result from Packard's desire for vengeance weighted against Conrad and Weaver's advocacy for the greater good.
Kong's initial attack kills a lot of Packard's men. He wants to kill Kong to avenge his dead comrades, but Conrad and Weaver recognize that the Skullcrawlers are the bigger threat and want to join forces against them with Kong. The tensions rise over the course of the film until they boil over and we get the last shot from the first trailer, which shows Packard and Conrad having a knife fight.- Semi-confirmed. The only part of this to be Jossed is that the knife fight is between Young!Marlow and a Japanese pilot, not Packard and Conrad.
The giant ape skeletons were Kong's parents.
In the second trailer, we get a bird's eye view of the dry, dusty boneyard and see the humans walking between two giant ape skeletons. They're both laying on their backs, side by side, and appear to be holding hands. This seems to imply that the two giant apes had a relationship, and both died in that spot together, or were even laid to rest there by Kong.- Confirmed by one of the latest TV spots...and John C. Reilly's character.
Kong is the last of his kind, because...
Originally, Skull Island was home to both the giant apes and the Skullcrawlers. For centuries, both species fought for dominance until the Skullcrawlers evolved to the point where they could easily wipe out the giant apes. Kong's parents were eventually the last ones remaining, and continued fighting against the Skullcrawlers until their deaths, either in battle or of old age. As a result, Kong is now both the last of his kind and the newest ape to continue his species' war with the giant lizards.- Confirmed
The film will have a stinger featuring a cameo from Godzilla
Taking a page from the book of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would serve as a nice reminder of the inevitable showdown in 2020, and also possibly double as a preview for Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). We'll also get to see how he looks like in the 70s.- Almost. The premise is correct, but not the character that appears. Or rather, he's not the only one - Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah all appear in the form of a slideshow showing ancient cave paintings. His roar, however, ends the stinger.
Godzilla will have some presence in the film
Not that he'll actually appear, but the map shown at New York Comic Con revealed that at some point, Godzilla came to Skull Island, either because he was fighting something or because he was just passing through. Whatever he did, he left an impact on the natives, to the point where they seem to be more afraid of Godzilla than anything else on the island. While Godzilla won't actually appear in the film, we might see a landscape scorched by atomic fire, a large footprint, or a claw marks on a cliffside. We might even see a sort of cave painting with Godzilla on it, with the image leaving the natives speechless.- Godzilla is indirectly alluded to through the allusion to the 1954 incident. He is also seen in a mural that Monarch photographed.
The guy falling from the helicopter here
WON'T end up as ape-food.
Just when it looks like Kong's gonna eat the guy, he'll slap the guy aside at the last second. It'd be hard to keep Kong sympathetic if he's going around eating people, after all. Plus it makes a good Take That! to the infamous King Kong Lives, where Kong DID eat a human. WON'T end up as ape-food. Alternatively, he WILL end up as ape-food
To show that Kong is well and truly PISSED, and ALSO as a Take That! to the aforementioned movie...though this time showing how to do it right.- Implied. Right as he is about to enter Kong's mouth, the film cuts to a shot of someone eating a sandwich.
Colonel Packard will be a villain.
He seems really obsessed with killing Kong in a egotistical attempt to prove that man is superior. His behavior may put the other characters in danger, to the point of killing anyone who tries to stop him or using them as bait for Kong. He'll end up getting stepped on or eaten. He'll be similar to Paul Serone from Anaconda.- Confirmed. Packard is the human Big Bad while Ramarak plays that role for the kaiju.
A descendant of Ann Darrow and Jack Driscoll will appear.
- Jossed. No references to the previous Kong films are made.
Skull Island will be the Monsterverse version of Monster Island in future films.
- There were already plenty of monsters on the island in the film and it's not out of the realm of possibility that there were even more on the island that we didn't get to see this time around.
There will be a comic prequel which tells the day-to-day adventures of Gunpei and Marlow on Skull Island.
Cause two Fire-Forged Friends working together and surviving on an island of interesting creatures is rife with good story material! Godzilla was not responsible for destroying Randa's ship.
Randa mentions that he was on a ship that was destroyed by something that "had no conscience, no soul. Only destruction." We're also given a brief look at the ship's wreckage, which has some pretty nasty claw or tooth marks gouged into it. While Randa's description could just be an attempt at drama to get the Obstructive Bureaucrat Senator to approve his expedition, it definitely doesn't really sound like the big G of this universe. He doesn't destroy just for the sake of destroying. So what if it was something else? There is one monster who fits that description to a T: King Ghidorah.- I doubt that it's King Ghidorah since it was a ship that was attack I think it's more likely that it was a more aquatic kaiju like Anguirus, Destoroyah, Titanosaurus, etc. Though if I had to place a guess I'd say Zilla, he's had a raise in popularity and if he's done right we could get another movie series, one that follows in line with Godzilla: The Series.
The Mire Squid and Oodako.
As most major fans have already guess the Mire Squid is an Expy of Oodako. It's also possible that later on that the two monsters actually are the same species with Mire Squid being the species name and Oodako simply being a larger then average individual or vise versa, with the name Oodako not being used due to Copyright. The Mother Longlegs and Kumonga
The two are the same species, with one actually being the species name and the other being a named individual. Ramarak and the Skullcrawlers killed Skull Island's dinosaurs
While many found the lack of dinosaurs baffling in this incarnation of Skull Island, the fact we see a Triceratops skull in one scene confirms they must have been present at some point in the island's past. Given the Skullcrawlers are something akin to dangerous invasive species, there's a good chance they might have been the ones responsible for exterminating all the remaining dinosaurs in Skull Island in their ravenous hunger. Packard was being Medically Discharged when the call came in for the mission to Skull Island.
The opening scene shows that the Senator Al Willis, doesn't believe Randa's ramblings about giant monsters and hollow earth, only reluctantly granting a "piggyback" on the survey team to Randa, so when Randa mentions they need a military escort, why would Willis give him a, supposedly, Elite unit, for a survey mission Willis believes would produce nothing? Because Packard was already on his way out, the unit was being disbanded, with Packard especially being canned because of possible PTSD, Depression or something similar, it's clear that his behaviour in the film is usual to the men under him, as they are very endeared to him, something an Ahab-esque Whack-job wouldn't have, so his mental illness has caused him to snap, adopting that mindset.