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 THEN & NOW: The cast of the 2005 'King Kong' movie, 12 years later

Andy Serkis played King Kong in the 2005 movie with motion capture equipment. Universal Pictures; Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

The King Kong story is one of the most durable in Hollywood. Beginning the 1933 film "King Kong," studios have made eight movies starring the building-sized monster.

The newest adventure is "Kong: Skull Island," which does away with the romantic center of the story to focus on visceral action sequences. It's meant to tie into Warner Bros.'s "Godzilla" movie, with "Godzilla vs. Kong" planned for 2020 and more monsters to join the "MonsterVerse" in the future.

It's a perfect time to take a look back at the previous "Kong" movie. Peter Jackson's 2005 take came right after he finished the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. And with lush special effects and a three-hour running time, it was equally magisterial.

In the 12 years since, its stars have gone on to new corners in the movie industry. Here's where they've been.

Naomi Watts plays a struggling actress.

Universal Pictures

Watts plays Ann Darrow, who's so desperate for work that she accepts a job traveling to the uncharted Skull Island.

In real life, Watts was coming off a string of critically successful performances. It started with David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" in 2001, then the box office smash "The Ring." Following that, she picked up roles in "21 Grams" and the cult classic "I Heart Huckabees."

2017 is shaping up to be one of her biggest years yet.

VENICE, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 02: Actress Naomi Watts attends the premiere of 'The Bleeder' during the 73rd Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande on September 2, 2016 in Venice, Italy. Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Watts will star in the revival of the television show "Twin Peaks," also directed by David Lynch. She'll also be in "The Glass Castle" and "The Book of Henry," both of which are poised for attention during awards season. Additionally, she'll be in the Netflix drama "Gypsy."

In the past few years, Watts earned an Oscar nomination for her role in the 2012 movie "The Impossible," picked up a role in the "Divergent" series, and had a memorable part in "Birdman."

Jack Black took on a more dramatic role than he was used to.

Universal Pictures

Black has made his career out of being a music-loving comedic actor with a lot of heart, best known for "High Fidelity" and "School of Rock." His role in King Kong — a self-serious, wild-eyed filmmaker — wasn't as comedic, but showed off his range.

He's since made three "Kung Fu Panda" movies.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Black's strength is still being funny. He's now added extensive voice acting experience to his resume with the "Kung Fu Panda" trilogy. His role in "Tropic Thunder," a movie about the pitfalls of making giant movies in jungles, also pokes fun at his "King Kong" role.

Adrien Brody was already the youngest Oscar winner for best actor.

Universal Pictures

His work in 2002's "The Pianist" made Brody, at age 29, an Academy Award winner. "King Kong" was a big-budget victory lap.

He's mostly chosen riskier and more colorful roles.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Actor Adrien Brody attends the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 26, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Instead of taking on uplifting biopics or sweeping Hollywood epics, Brody's been all over the place. He's collaborated with Wes Anderson several times, most notably as the mustache-twirling villain in "The Grand Budapest Hotel." He also got a lot of attention for playing Salvador Dalí in "Midnight in Paris."

Brody has additionally used his clout for interesting failures, like a remake of the beloved BBC comedy "The Singing Detective" and by playing Harry Houdini in the History Channel miniseries "Houdini."

Thomas Kretschmann was better known in the German film industry.

Universal Pictures

He rose to prominence for his role in the 1993 German war drama "Stalingrad." By the early 2000s, he started dabbling in Hollywood shows and movies, starring alongside Brody in "The Pianist" and picking up roles in "24" and "Resident Evil: Apocalypse."

In "King Kong," he played Captain Englehorn, who led the ship to Skull Island and feuded with Jack Black's character, Carl Denham.

Now he mostly sticks with horror movies.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 13: Actor Thomas Kretschmann attends the world premiere of Marvel's 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' at the Dolby Theatre on April 13, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Kretschmann has continued to straddle both English-language and German-language productions. He gravitates towards horror movies, like "Hostel: Part III and "Open Grave," and starred as the minor Marvel villain Baron Wolfgang von Strucker in "Avengers: Age of Ultron."

Andy Serkis played the star role of the film: King Kong himself.

Universal Pictures

After more than a decade of acting, Serkis began to carve out a niche for himself by acting in roles that used motion capture technology. He played Gollum in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which led him to playing Kong. (He also played Lumpy, the crew's chef.)

He's still playing motion capture apes.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 20: Andy Serkis attends the Jameson Empire Awards 2016 at The Grosvenor House Hotel on March 20, 2016 in London, England. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Serkis plays the lead role of Caesar in the rebooted "Planet of the Apes" series, which started with "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" in 2011.

He also took motion capture roles as Captain Haddock in "The Adventures of Tintin," Ulysses Klaue in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and Supreme Leader Snoke in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

One of his next roles will be yet another motion capture animal: the bear Baloo, in another "Jungle Book" movie, which he's directing as well.