Universal Pictures confirmed today that James Newton Howard has replaced Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore on KING KONG.
Director Peter Jackson made the following statement, "I have greatly enjoyed my collaborations with Howard Shore, whose musical themes made immeasurable contributions to THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. During the last few weeks, Howard and I came to realize that we had differing creative aspirations for the score of KING KONG. Rather than waste time arguing with a friend and trying to unify our points of view, we decided amicably to let another composer score the film. I'm looking forward to working with James Newton Howard, a composer whose work I've long admired, and I thank Howard Shore, whose talent is surpassed only by his graciousness."
KING KONG will be released Dec. 14.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
