King Kong Animated Series Being Developed by Avi Arad for Netflix

Mega-producer Avi Arad has had a long and storied track record of producing some of the most beloved superhero franchises of our time. Spider-man, X-Men, Iron Man, and The Incredible Hulk just to name a few. He has made a career out of bringing various superheroes to the big screen for many years, and now he appears to have set his sights on bringing his own spin on a classic character from film history: King Kong.

Animation World Network reported that Avi Arad is teaming up with digital streaming service Netflix and the animation studio 41 Entertainment to develop an original animated TV series titled Kong – King of the Apes.

The CG-animated take on the character takes place in the year 2050 and is described as follows:

In Kong, the future looks bright for San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island since its transformation into the most impressive Natural History and Marine Preserve on the planet. But when the star attraction suddenly goes ape and Kong becomes public enemy number one, the villain that framed him is free to unleash an army of gigantic robotic dinosaurs on the unsuspecting world. Ironically, Kong is the only force formidable enough to stop these super-powered dinosaurs and the evil genius manipulating them. But Kong is now the world’s most hunted fugitive. Fortunately, there are three young humans who know the truth and are willing to risk their lives to help Kong evade capture, while he battles to save humankind.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Avi, who has made some of the most successful action and adventure franchises today, and whose Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventure series has been very popular on Netflix around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix, when speaking to Animation World Network. “With 41 Entertainment as our partner on this, we continue to work with some of the finest animation studios around the world to create shows that will appeal to kids of all ages globally.”

Avi Arad also chimed in, saying: “I always loved King Kong. This is a unique opportunity to introduce him in brilliant CGI animation to kids worldwide with the power of Netflix.”

The new series will premiere on Netflix as a feature-length film followed by 12 half-hour episodes to follow in 2016. King Kong is also making his way back to the big screen that year with Skull Island, a film that will serve as an origin story for the character. Set to bow in the fall of 2016, it will star Tom Hiddleston and will be written by Max Borenstein (Godzilla reboot) with Jordan Vogt-Roberts in the director’s chair.

What do you think of ‘Kong – King of the Apes’? Are you excited for the re-emergence of this character?