WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- New Zealand director Peter Jackson, whose "Lord of the Rings" grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide, says he doesn't expect "King Kong" to do as well.
"To live the rest of your life trying to top 'Lord of the Rings' would be a foolish and unsatisfying thing to do," he told Newsweek in an interview. "So you set your sights on making a thoroughly entertaining movie so that people are not disappointed. It is highly unlikely 'King Kong' will ever make more money than 'Lord of the Rings.'"
With his remake of "King Kong," due in theaters next December, Jackson hopes to bring the Kong myth to a generation that shuns black-and-white movies, confuses "King Kong" with "Godzilla" and never saw the original "King Kong," but the 1970s remake.
"I watched some of the Jessica Lange version," he said. "It's painfully obvious that it's a guy in a monkey suit."
