“Beware of apes when you travel here,” should be the first sentence on a travel brochure for Skull Island, the fictional setting of Kong: Skull Island. It is the home of King Kong, as well as numerous other wild creatures, many of whom seem to be prehistoric. There are also a group of native people living there, who offer sacrifices to Kong. The island has been known by many names throughout the history of King Kong films and other media, but RKO pictures always used the name Skull Island, at least some of the time.

In the upcoming Kong: Skull Island a group of explorers and soldiers in 1971 travel to the island to learn if the stories about creatures and monsters are true. Once there, they learn that the legends are real, and have to fight to stay alive on an island full of beasts trying to kill them, including King Kong, the great ape and ruler of the island. The film stars Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, and John C. Reilly. Kong is played by Terry Notary, an actor who is interestingly qualified to play the great ape - he also plays the ape Rocket in the Planet of the Apes series, including the upcoming War for the Planet of the Apes.

In order to celebrate the release of Kong: Skull Island, Google has added Skull Island to Google Maps. Located in the South Pacific Ocean, Skull Island is parallel with Papua New Guinea on its Western side, and both the Southernmost part of Ecuador and the Northernmost part of Peru on its East. Google released an official statement explaining the addition of this fictional location to its otherwise accurate map:

Skull Island currently has 3 stars, according to reviews left by over 4,600 people. Most of the negative reviews appear to be from various people telling stories of members of their groups mysteriously vanishing while on the island, or problems with the locals. Of course, the positive reviews are just as fanciful and entertaining.

First Look: Explore Skull Island on Google Maps – A mysterious and otherworldly island, thought to be myth, was just revealed on Google Maps to celebrate the premiere of Kong: Skull Island and Local Guides get the first chance to explore this uncharted virtual world. On this rare occasion, you can even leave fantasy reviews.

Google has a bit of a history with adding fake locations to their map in order to tie in with pop culture. Middle Earth was added in 2013, not long before the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Earlier in 2013 Google Street View added Diagon Alley, the famous location where Harry Potter purchased his school supplies. More recently, Google Maps added Fantastic Beasts locations as a tie-in with the most recent Wizarding World cinematic entry.

So, head over to Google Maps to check out Skull Island before seeing Kong: Skull Island in theaters. Maybe you’ll learn enough to help you survive!

Next: Kong: Skull Island Final Trailer

Source: Google Maps

  • Kong: Skull Island Release Date: 2017-03-10 Godzilla 2 Release Date: 2019-05-31