Tom Hiddleston On Playing An ‘Adventurer’ In Kong: Skull Island

We know him and love him as the duplicitous Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe - but Tom Hiddleston has a number of roles lined up which look set to elevate him to full-on leading man status.

The British actor is set to be seen this autumn in ‘Crimson Peak’ and is currently promoting ‘I Saw the Light’ and ‘High-Rise’ at the Toronto International Film Festival, before starting work on a particularly epic project - ‘Kong: Skull Island.’

- Warners Setting Up Kong/Godzilla/Pacific Rim Universe?
- Jurassic World Writer Joins Kong: Skull Island
- Kong: Skull Island Casts Brie Larson

Speaking to Collider, Hiddleston shed a little light on what we can expect from him in this new take on the classic monster movie:

“It’s so exciting. I’ve been digging around in some dark material, to be honest. There’s something very heroic about my character in Skull Island. He’s an adventurer, he’s an explorer. I mean, it’s a ‘King Kong’ film. There we go. [laughs]

“The way [director] Jordan Vogt-Roberts has conceived of it, there’s something in there which I find very compelling about King Kong as an emblem of the power of nature in some way, and man’s relationship to it. I think he’s got just brilliant ideas about exploring that.

“Incredible sequences, a particular context they put King Kong in that you’ve never see him in before, so I’m really excited.Amazing actors. I’m working with Brie Larson, Corey Hawkins, and Jason Mitchell from ‘Straight Outta Compton’ are going to be in it.”

There has been some debate over what time period ‘Kong: Skull Island’ is set in. While it was initially thought to be a prequel to the 1933 original and/or Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake, actor JK Simmons (who was at one point set to co-star, but was forced to withdraw over a schedule clash) surprised many by revealing it was set in the early 1970s, with some scenes to be shot in Detroit.

However, since Simmons (and another almost-star Michael Keaton) left the film, rewrites have been done to the script. Whether this means the setting is now different, we don’t know - and Hiddleston isn’t saying:

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to reveal that to you. There is a period, but I don’t want to reveal what it is yet.“

Nor does Hiddleston say anything on the subject of the ‘King Kong Vs Godzilla’ movie that ‘Kong: Skull Island’ is now thought to be setting the scene for.

He’s similarly tight-lipped regarding his anticipated return to his most famous role in Marvel’s upcoming ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ as well as his future as Loki overall:

“Honestly, I don’t know. It’s all in Kevin Feige’s brain. It feels like the Marvel Universe is expanding at such a rate, and I wish – I’m not being coy – I don’t know where Loki fits into that. So we’ll see. Your guess is as good as mine.”

Hiddleston can next be seen in ‘Crimson Peak,’ in cinemas 16 October, whilst ‘Kong: Skull Island’ is due on 10 March 2017.

Picture Credit: Joe Alvarez, Universal, Marvel