THE NEXT KING KONG REVIVAL: ON NETFLIX

Netflix’s announcement that it plans to back four Adam Sandler movies (see separate item) overshadowed another announcement on Wednesday that it will also back an animated kids series that will revive the King Kong legend. The series, Kong: King of the Apes, which is due to launch with a feature-length film in 2016 and then be followed with 12 half-hour episodes, will be produced by Avi Arad, who produced most of Marvel’s live-action superhero blockbusters as well as Marvel’s animated superhero TV shows. "I always loved King Kong," Arad said in a statement. "This is a unique opportunity to introduce him in brilliant CGI animation to kids worldwide with the power of Netflix." On its website, CBS News on Wednesday reported that the series "will take place in the year 2050 on San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island — here turned into a marine preserve where the giant gorilla now resides. After a villain frames him and he becomes an international outlaw, Kong must clear his name while protecting Earth from an army of enhanced dinosaurs."