Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson is helping to produce a 2-hour documentary for inclusion on the 2-disc DVD release of the classic 1933 King Kong DVD currently slated for November 22.  Jackson, who directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy and is currently working on a remake of King Kong, which will be released in December, is a real fan of the original Kong film and his help should make the extras on the Kong DVD something very special.  In addition to the Jackson-produced documentary, which contains a segment on the legendary deleted 'spider pit' sequence, the Kong extras will include a documentary on director Merian C. Cooper, and audio commentary by special effects mavens Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston.

 

The King Kong DVD, which also benefits from a sparkling new transfer based on a pristine British copy of the film, will be available in three different editions, a two-disc Special Edition, a 2-disc Collector's Tin, which includes a 20-page reproduction of the original program, postcard reproductions of the original one sheets and a mail-in offer for a 27' x 41' reproduction of a vintage Kong poster, and a 4-disc Collector's Box, which also contains DVDs of The Song of Kong and Mighty Joe Young.  The basic 2-disc King Kong DVD and extras remains the same in all three versions.  Watch for complete pricing and packaging details as soon as they become available.