Director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) has extended a formal offer to actress Naomi Watts regarding a role in his remake of King Kong. Jackson would play the object of the hairy apes obsession in this Universal pic scheduled for Christmas 2005. Watts first attracted attention for her role in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and has followed that with acclaimed roles in The Ring, Le Divorce and 21 Grams.

King Kong will shoot in New Zealand on massive soundstages Jackson has contstructed there. The film will also utilize his the formbidable talents of Jackson’s special effects company the WETA workshop. The script will be written by Jackson and his LOTR writing team Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens.