'Deep Rising' Nearly Launched a King Kong Monsterverse

Nearly three decades before the modern Monsterverse took shape with 2014's Godzilla and later Kong crossovers, the 1998 film Deep Rising almost served as the start of a Kong-centered franchise. The movie's director, Stephen Sommers, reportedly planned a follow-up tentatively titled Kong Rising, and a single tease at Deep Rising's end still hints at that original intention.

During development Harrison Ford was attached to star and the budget was said to be $90 million, with roughly $15 million earmarked for the actor. Creative demands and rewrites followed, and Ford eventually exited for another project that paid more, after which the budget was reportedly cut in half.

Without his star power the studio backed away from overt Kong connections, though Sommers persuaded them to keep the film’s final roar-filled tease. The finished picture starred Treat Williams and Famke Janssen alongside Djimon Hounsou and others, and introduced a gruesome, Kraken-like creature called the Octalus.

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