"KING KONG" ROARS ONTO THE SMALL SCREEN AS THE "ABC SATURDAY MOVIE OF THE WEEK," MARCH 5

"King Kong," the 2005 remake of the 1933 classic, starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks and Andy Serkis, will air as the "ABC Saturday Movie of the Week," MARCH 5 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. The film garnered three Academy Awards and will be broadcast in HDTV format with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish audio.

Set in the 1930s, "King Kong" tells the story of a young and beautiful actress named Ann Darrow (Watts), who finds herself lost in a depression-era New York until she meets overly ambitious filmmaker Carl Denham (Black), who takes her on an expedition to remote Skull Island. Upon arriving, they realize the legendary gorilla known as King Kong does indeed exist, along with other creatures from prehistoric times that have remained hidden and protected for millions of years. As they search for the great ape, their quest puts them against both Kong and his dinosaur enemies. Ultimately, it's the attention of Ann Darrow that soothes Kong long enough for him to be subdued by the explorers and shipped back to New York, where he's held captive and put on display.

"King Kong" stars Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow, Jack Black as Carl Denham, Adrien Brody as Jack Driscoll, Thomas Kretschmann as Captain Englehorn, Colin Hanks as Preston, Jamie Bell as Jimmy, Evan Parke as Ben Hayes, Lobo Chan as Choy, Kyle Chandler as Bruce Baxter, John Sumner as Herb, Craig Hall as Mike and Andy Serkis as Kong.

"King Kong" is produced by Universal Studios. The screenplay was written and directed by Peter Jackson.. (CLOSED-CAPTIONED) (Broadcast in stereo where available)

"KING KONG" IN HDTV:
The ABC Television Network's HDTV broadcast of "King Kong" will air in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP. This program carries a TV-14,L,V parental guideline.