Kong: Skull Island director explains Vietnam War setting

The director of Kong: Skull Island was surprised when producers liked his idea of setting the film in 1970s Vietnam.

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the upcoming movie is a reboot of the King Kong franchise and follows a team of explorers and soldiers who are brought together to venture deep into an uncharted island, unaware that they are crossing into the domain of monsters, as well as a giant ape. While previous King Kong movies have typically been set in the early 1930s, moviemaker Vogt-Roberts reveals it was originally supposed to be set near the end of World War I.

“The script I first read took place in 1917”, he told Empire magazine. “But when I started talking to the Legendary (Entertainment) guys, I was thinking, 'What weird King Kong movie would I want to see?' So I pitched them the Vietnam War connection, literally thinking they were gonna laugh me out of the room.”

However, the Detroit native was very surprised when he received approval for his idea to move the action to the Vietnam War era.

“And to Legendary's credit, they said, 'Cool. Let's figure it out.' The aesthetics of that time mixed with King Kong makes for an incredible genre mash-up,” he added.

Brie Larson, who stars as Weaver in Kong: Skull Island, previously revealed she had shot scenes for the film in the northern provinces of the Southeast Asian nation, as well as in Hawaii and Australia’s Gold Coast.

“We were shooting for quite a bit in a part of Vietnam that is untouched,” she said. “We’re showing these areas that have not been

touched by man, that are pure.”

Kong: Skull Island, which also stars Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson is slated to hit theatres in March this year (17).