Given that even a filmmaker as accomplished as Peter Jackson appeared to stumble slightly when tackling King Kong, directors and studios would be forgiven from staying away from the great ape. But that isn’t scaring 20th Century Fox Animation, which is planning a new, animated take on Skull Island’s most famous resident.

The studio has hired writers Christian Magalhaes and Bob Snow to kick off work on the ‘toon’s script, which will not only update the story to the modern day, but tell the tale from Kong’s point of view. No, really: if this thing makes it to screens, we’ll be treated to the big K explaining how he feels about his treatment and, assuming they keep to the big finish, still taking a dive from the top of the Empire State Building. Could be a bit of a downer for the kids. No pun intended, there.

While we’re really not sure the world really needs a ‘toon Kong with an internal monologue or – shudder – a wisecracking giant gorilla with a heart, it’s certainly a different way into the classic tale.

Plus Magalhaes and Snow are also unusual choices, since they’ve largely worked on shorts and a TV movie, but got their big break thanks to their script Murder of a Cat, which hit the 2010 Blacklist and features a man investigating the death of his beloved moggy. Well, we suppose they both feature animals coming to bad ends…