JURASSIC WORLD Writer Takes A Trip To KONG: SKULL ISLAND

After bringing Jurassic World to life and watching the film becoming the third highest-grossing movie of all time, it's easy to see why co-writer Derek Connolly (above, right) is suddenly in demand. He and his writing partner Colin Trevorrow are penning the screenplay for Jurassic World 2, but in the meantime, THR reports Connolly will be taking a swing at another Universal property: the King Kong spin-off Kong: Skull Island.

The plot for the movie is still being kept under wraps, but we know that The Kings of Summer helmer Jordan Vogt-Roberts is directing, while Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, and Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton) are starring, and considering the film's title and its Hawaii, Vietnam, and Iceland filming locations, it's pretty obviously going to involve a group of people traveling to the island King Kong calls home. We also know that island is home to dinosaurs, so Connolly seems like a natural fit.

He's been brought in to take a pass at the script, which has already been worked on by Max Borenstein (Godzilla), John Gatins (Flight), and Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler). Trevorrow has said in interviews that Connolly is good with writing dialogue when those two collaborate, so perhaps Universal has hired him to brush up some of the dialogue here as well.

Last we heard, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Wilkinson, and John C. Reilly may be joining the cast to replace the recently vacated Michael Keaton and J.K. Simmons, but we're still waiting on confirmation of that. Kong: Skull Island hits theaters on March 10th, 2017.