Last August, it was reported that British actorToby Kebbell, who won rave reviews for portraying the nefarious ape Koba in the 2014 blockbusterDawn of the Planet of the Apes, had signed on for a role in Warner Bros.‘Kong: Skull Island. Speculation began almost immediately that the actor was cast to portray King Kong himself through motion capture, but that was never confirmed nor denied by the studio. As it turns out, the rumor was actually half-true, with the actor shedding new light on his role while promoting his upcoming video game adaptationWarcraft.
During an interview withEntertainment Weekly,Toby Kebbellrevealed that his primary role in the film is playing Chapman, an Air Force major who is largely seen working alongsideSamuel L. Jackson’s character. However, the actor did admit in this interview that he provided some “facial references” forKing Kong, who will primarily be played byTerry Notary, an actor, stunt coordinator, and motion capture expert who worked withKebbellonDawn of the Planet of the Apes. Here’s whatToby Kebbellhad to say in this new interview about playing the giant ape.
“I gave some facial reference - certain subtleties, certain looks.Terryand I worked on stuff together and created what Kong needed. I think it’s just an assumption because I’ve done motion capture. I think people kept pitching [the rumors] out as well, so that someone has to come forward. I was just there as backup for pieces that Terry really wanted to get details on. It’s a real honor to be asked by someone who’s a great performer, to come and help support their performance. It becomes a symbiotic thing, and it’s more like buddies asking each other to help. If we were mechanics and he was having a problem with his sprocket set, it’s more like he borrowed my sprocket set than me playing King Kong.”
Just a month afterToby Kebbellwas cast, it was confirmed thatKong: Skull Islandwill actually help set up an even bigger movie that brings two franchise heavyweights together inGodzilla Vs Kong. Warner Bros. recently set a June 12, 2025 release date for this highly-anticipated movie, withGodzilla 2set to hit theaters on August 21, 2025. Very little is known aboutGodzilla vs Kongat this point, or if any of theKong: Skull Islandcast members such asTom Hiddleston,Samuel L. Jackson,Brie Larson,John Goodman,Tian Jing,Corey Antonio Hawkins,Jason Mitchell,John OrtizorShea Whighamwill come aboard for this project.
Jordan Vogt-Robertsis directingKong: Skull Islandfrom a script byJohn Gatins(Real Steel), withGareth EdwardsdirectingGodzilla 2from a script byDerek Connolly(Jurassic World). It isn’t known if any of these filmmakers will collaborate onGodzilla vs. King Kong, or if Warner Bros. plans on bringing new filmmakers in. We’ll continue to keep you posted onKong: Skull Island,Godzilla vs. KongandGodzilla 2as soon as we have more updates.
