or


[06/17/05 - 12:00 AM]
Largest Televised Motion Picture Preview in History on June 27

[via press release from NBC Universal Television Studio]

LARGEST TELEVISED MOTION PICTURE PREVIEW IN HISTORY ON JUNE 27

NBC UNIVERSAL PRESENTS LARGEST TELEVISED MOTION PICTURE PREVIEW �ROADBLOCK� IN HISTORY AS ITS NINE NETWORKS BROADCAST SIMULTANEOUS WORLD PREMIERE OF KING KONG TEASER TRAILER ON JUNE 27

Potential Audience of 109 Million Will Get First Look at the Dramatic Adventure Directed by Peter Jackson

BURBANK/UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- June 17, 2005 -- NBC Universal will present an unprecedented motion picture preview "roadblock" as all nine of its networks simultaneously telecast the world premiere of the first trailer for Universal Pictures' King Kong, the dramatic adventure helmed by Oscar�-winning director Peter Jackson, on Monday, June 27, from 8:59:30-9:02 PM ET.

As part of the ambitious, multi-pronged effort, the two-minute, 30-second teaser trailer will be broadcast at the same time on NBC, SCI FI, USA Network, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, Mun2 and Universal HD. The trailer will be offered in high-definition on NBC and Universal HD. The estimated potential audience of the combined networks would exceed 109 million viewers, surpassing the total distribution of any previous promotional broadcast.

The announcement was made today by Jeff Zucker, President, NBC Universal Television Group, and Stacey Snider, Chairman, Universal Pictures.

"This exciting and expansive campaign will allow us to stretch and realize the full promise of NBC Universal's formidable assets," said Zucker. "This concerted push will create a buzz across the spectrum of our networks that will build through King Kong's much-anticipated release."

"King Kong, as it's being interpreted by Peter Jackson, is the work of a master storyteller operating at the full height of his creative powers," commented Snider. "We are immensely excited to allow the world its first glimpse of this extraordinary film and its remarkable central character with an event that is as ambitious and momentous as King Kong deserves. This roadblock demonstrates just how coordinated and unified a company NBC Universal has become in just over a year, and we are proud of our shared commitment to accomplishing something of this magnitude."

The specific schedule for the airing of the teaser trailer on each of the NBC networks is as follows:

NBC -immediately following "Fear Factor"

USA Network -immediately following "Law & Order: SVU

SCI FI Channel - immediately following "Stargate-SG1"

Bravo -immediately following "West Wing"

Universal HD - immediately following "Airport '77"

MSNBC - immediately following "Countdown with Keith Olberman"

CNBC - immediately following "Cover to Cover"

Telemundo - immediately following "La Mujer en el Espejo"

Mun2 - teaser trailer will premiere during the two-hour block of "The Roof."

King Kong, which tells the classic tale of the gigantic ape captured on a remote island and brought to 1930s Manhattan where he meets his tragic fate, stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis, Jamie Bell and Adrien Brody and will open in theaters worldwide on December 14, 2005.

Other components of the cross-promotional campaign include providing NBC's and Telemundo's owned-and-operated and affiliated stations with the full teaser trailer along with exclusive behind-the-scenes material to run soon after the world broadcast premiere. The teaser trailer will also air on the Tuesday, June 28th edition ofAccess Hollywood.

The teaser trailer for King Kong will make its on-screen debut in movie theaters worldwide on Wednesday, June 29th.

Also on Monday, June 27, in concert with the NBC Universal roadblock, the King Kong teaser trailer will debut online, on multimedia-enabled personal wireless communication devices and at several high profile out-of-home locations.

Volkswagen, the exclusive automotive promotional partner of King Kong, has been granted the exclusive online debut window for the teaser trailer. Beginning at 8:44 PM ET (15 minutes prior to the NBC Universal primetime roadblock), the teaser trailer may be viewed exclusively on the Volkswagen website (www.volkswagen.com), encoded in Apple's QuickTime technology, which offers the highest quality visual image available online. This Volkswagen online exclusive will continue for 48 hours.

Also at this time, Universal Pictures' official movie site for King Kong will go live at www.kingkongmovie.com Included on the site will be the official logo for the film, cast and filmmaker biographies and downloadable photos. This online destination for the film will expand over time and enable fans to immerse themselves in the rich history of the Kong character in our culture, and to explore the world Peter Jackson has created for his new film version of the classic adventure.

In addition, NBC Mobile (Sprint TV, Channel 1), on the Sprint PCS network, will be featuring the King Kong trailer with additional behind the scenes material on the film.

For those out of home on Monday evening when the NBC Universal roadblock occurs, the King Kong teaser trailer can be viewed on Jumbotron screens in New York's Times Square, in Orlando, Florida at Universal Orlando's CityWalk, and in Universal City, California at Universal Studios Hollywood's CityWalk.

The roadblock and its many extensions will be extensively promoted across all NBC Universal and promotional partner platforms.

Triple Academy Award� winner Peter Jackson (the Lord of the Rings trilogy) recently completed principal photography in New Zealand on the dramatic adventure King Kong, bringing his sweeping cinematic vision to the iconic story of the gigantic ape captured in the wild and brought to civilization where he meets his tragic fate. Jackson assumes directing, producing and co-screenwriting duties and surrounds himself with a list of superlative filmmaking and acting talents. Jackson re-teams with longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, co-writing the screenplay with three-time Oscar� winning partner Walsh and their The Lord of the Rings co-writer, Academy Award� winner Boyens. Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran Walsh and Jackson produce the film under their WingNut Films banner.

Starring in the Universal Pictures release is a roster of some of Hollywood's most versatile and accomplished actors, including Academy Award� nominee Naomi Watts (21 Grams), Jack Black (School of Rock) and Academy Award� winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist).

Naomi Watts portrays Ann Darrow, an actress from the world of vaudeville who finds herself out of a job in Depression-era New York. Her luck changes when she meets Carl Denham, played by Jack Black. Denham is an entrepreneur, raconteur, adventurer and filmmaker who is struggling to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. Bold, ebullient and charismatic, Denham has a natural sense of showmanship and an appetite for greatness, which ultimately leads to catastrophe. Adrien Brody steps into the role of Jack Driscoll, a New York playwright, who becomes an unlikely hero in a romantic adventure story which will test his physical courage and his heart.

Andy Serkis (who performed the role of the CGI character Gollum in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy) provided both on-set performance reference and motion capture performance for the title character of King Kong. Serkis also appears onscreen playing Lumpy the cook, in service aboard the tramp steamer Venture, bound for Skull Island, under the command of Captain Englehorn, played by Thomas Kretschmann (U-571). Colin Hanks (Orange County) portrays a production assistant to filmmaker Carl Denham and Kyle Chandler (television's Early Edition) takes on the role of Bruce Baxter, a 1930's movie star cast opposite Ann Darrow in the film Denham is shooting.

Actors Evan Parke (Planet of the Apes), Lobo Chan and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) also come onboard King Kong as members of the Venture Crew, with Parke as Hayes, the first mate, a hardened ex-infantryman from WWI; Bell as the ship's lookout, Jimmy, a delinquent with a knack for getting into trouble; and Chan rounding out the crew as Choy, the ever-optimistic deckhand.

Jackson's creative team on King Kong includes director of photography Andrew Lesnie (cinematographer for the Rings trilogy and Oscar� winner for The Fellowship of the Ring); editor Jamie Selkirk (Oscar� winner, The Return of the King); production designer Grant Major (Oscar� nominee for all three Rings and winner for The Return of the King); costumer Terry Ryan (The Hard Word, Paradise Road); and unit production manager Anne Bruning, who last worked in New Zealand on The Last Samurai.

Visual effects are again accomplished by New Zealand-based companies Weta Digital, under the direction of Oscar� winner Joe Letteri and Weta Workshop, under the direction of Oscar� winner Richard Taylor. Visual effects and miniatures will supplement practical locations in creating the primordial jungles of Skull Island and the bustling metropolis of '30s-period Manhattan.

Universal Pictures Presents A Wingnut Films Production: King Kong, starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis, Jamie Bell and Adrien Brody. The music is by Howard Shore. The film editor is Jamie Selkirk. The production designer is Grant Major. The director of photography is Andrew Lesnie, ACS. The film is produced by Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson. The screenplay is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson. King Kong is directed by Peter Jackson. �2005 Universal Studios. www.kingkongmovie.com





  [june 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· FEAR FACTOR (MTV)
· LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (NBC)
· STARGATE: SG-1 (SCI FI)
· WEST WING, THE (NBC)





[01/21/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Golden Kamuy -The Hunt of Prisoners in Hokkaido-" - Official Trailer - Netflix
With two map pieces secured, Sugimoto and Asirpa continue their hunt for the remaining 22 tattooed convicts whose bodies hold the key to hidden treasure.

[01/21/25 - 03:01 PM]
Find Destined Romance without Phones in Japanese Reality Dating Series "Offline Love"
In the Netflix series, 10 men and women embark on a journey to find love in the picturesque city of Nice, without using digital devices.

[01/21/25 - 01:00 PM]
FOX's Animation Domination Returns with the Season Premieres of "Family Guy," "Grimsburg" and "The Great North," Plus All-New Episodes of "Krapopolis," on Sunday, February 16
Plus: all-new episodes of "The Simpsons" return beginning Sunday, March 30.

[01/21/25 - 12:00 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of Jan. 13: "Back in Action" Hits the Mark with Chart-Topping Debut
There was plenty of love for "XO, Kitty's" second season, which premiered on January 16 and debuted at No. 2 on the English TV list with 14.2 million views.

[01/21/25 - 11:33 AM]
Golden Globe Winner Uma Thurman Joins the Showtime Original Series "Dexter: Resurrection" Starring Michael C. Hall
Thurman will play the series regular role of Charley, the Head of Security for mysterious billionaire Leon Prater.

[01/21/25 - 11:10 AM]
Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New York City" Two-Part Reunion Begins Tuesday, January 28 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Host Andy Cohen is joined by Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Brynn Whitfield and Racquel Chevremont to reflect on a tumultuous season that left relationships more fractured than ever before.

[01/21/25 - 11:00 AM]
What's New on Max This February
Highlights include new seasons of "The White Lotus" and "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," premiering February 16.

[01/21/25 - 10:08 AM]
"Abbott Elementary" - Season 5, Here We Come!
ABC confirmed the renewal on social media this morning.

[01/21/25 - 10:02 AM]
OWN's Unscripted Series "Family or Fiance" Returns with All-New Episodes Beginning Saturday, February 8 at 9PM ET/PT
Hosted by renowned relationship coach Tracy McMillan, this high-stakes social experiment brings real-life couples and their disapproving families together for three days to unpack their differences.

[01/21/25 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix Renews "The Lincoln Lawyer" for Season 4
Season 4 will consist of 10 episodes and will be based on the sixth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series by Michael Connelly, The Law of Innocence.

[01/21/25 - 10:01 AM]
The History Channel to Premiere New Six Part Docuseries "Thomas Jefferson" Beginning on Presidents' Day on Monday, February 17 at 8PM ET/PT
"Thomas Jefferson" offers an objective and comprehensive look into the complex life and achievements of the United States' third president, who was widely considered to be one of the patron saints of America's most sacred beliefs, and a central architect in the story of American democracy.

[01/21/25 - 10:00 AM]
Ninth Season of "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC Presented by Wingstop" Starts January 25 with Blockbuster Tripleheader
ESPN's ninth season tips off on January 25 with a blockbuster tripleheader to close out NBA Rivals Week highlighted by an NBA Finals rematch, a Western Conference Semifinals rematch and LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Stephen Curry and Golden State Warriors.

[01/21/25 - 09:08 AM]
Video: "The Eastern Gate" - Official Trailer - Max
The enemy is close. The series premieres January 31 on Max.

[01/21/25 - 09:01 AM]
Netflix's "Running Point" - Date Announcement, Key Art & Images Debut
When a scandal forces her brother to resign, Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson) is appointed president of the Los Angeles Waves, one of the most storied professional basketball franchises, and her family business.

[01/21/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Announces "Tribunal Justice" Season Two Premiere on January 27 and Releases Official Trailer
The fan-favorite courtroom series has already been renewed for a third season ahead of the season two debut.