Conflicting reports are beginning to emerge regarding the actor(s) performing motion capture for Kong in Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ hotly-anticipated Kong: Skull Island.
For the longest time, it appeared that Toby Kebbell was a shoo-in, given he’s donned the mo-cap gear for both Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Warcraft. But the actor himself spoke recently with MovieWeb (via /Film), where Kebbell teased that “time will tell” which actor(s) is ultimately portraying the mighty, primordial ape.
[zerg]Standing at a mighty 100 feet tall, it’s safe to assume that multiple performers will be used to fully render the King of the Apes, and that’s something that Kebbell appeared to confirm to The Daily Beast back in June, stating:
I was asked very sweetly by Terry [Notary] who said, ‘There are some things with Kong’s face. We need a nuance. We need a subtlety. Will you come and help?’ I was flattered and honored. Of course I would come and help. I’ve done a couple of days, but Terry Notary plays Kong.
So far, so conclusive. Terry Notary is the primary actor behind Kong with Kebbell helping out with some of the finer details – facial expressions and the like – but in a more recent interview with MovieWeb, Kebbell teased that “time will tell” who’s really playing Kong.
I did, yeah, put them down. It’s a tricky one. I think… time will tell who’s playing Kong, but, for the time being, I’ve been asked to promote playing Major Chapman. Jack Chapman is my character, and he’s the sidekick of Sam Jackson’s character.
Red herring? Or genuine teaser? Either way, the actor is joined on Skull Island by Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly, Tian Jing, Corey Hawkins, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Mitchell, John Ortiz, Thomas Mann, Shea Whigham, and Eugene Cordero.
Kong: Skull Island roars into theaters on March 10, 2017.