Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is to pick up one of the biggest fees for a movie when he remakes King Kong. He will land £12.5 million for the new version of the classic, although some will be shared with the writers, according to Variety magazine. Only a handful of directors have achieved an eight-figure sum and it puts New Zealander Jackson in the same league as movie stars such as Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson. The epic Lord of the Rings films - the third of which will be released at the end of this year - have become among the most successful movies of all time. Other directors who have landed such large deals include M Night Shyamalan. Most big money directors collect only a relatively small advance but take a large share of the box office receipts and spin-offs such as merchandise. King Kong was also remade in 1976 starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange.