Forget about that possible dramatized remake of The King Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. (The latest highly improbable rumors have Tom Cruise and Greg Kinnear in the lead roles.) Since the documentary’s release last summer, the story of Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell and the battle for Donkey Kong supremacy has taken a few more twists and turns, and before long there might be enough material for a sequel. For a Few Quarters More, anyone?
Last week’s release of the Kong DVD provides an update on the high-scoring action. (If you have yet to see the movie, stop reading now. Otherwise, continue after the jump.) As you’ll recall from the closing minutes of the documentary, underdog Wiebe recaptured the Kong crown from longtime champ and hot sauce magnate Mitchell in August 2006, just in time for the filmmakers to make their submission deadlines for Sundance and Slamdance (where the film premiered a year ago). Wiebe’s new high score of 1,049,100 was verified by Twin Galaxies, overseen by official gaming scorekeeper Walter Day.
As it turns out, Wiebe’s reign was brief. On June 13th of last year, Billy Mitchell reclaimed his crown with a score of 1,050,200. On the official King of Kong website, Wiebe announces his intentions to go back into training and take another shot at the title. This new information is but one of the cornucopia of extras on the DVD, which also features extended interviews with the movie’s gallery of game geeks, two different commentary tracks and archival footage from the golden age of Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and Burger Time. (Burger Time had a golden age? Who knew?)
Of course, the main obstacle to a sequel is that seemingly everyone who appeared in the doc has since emerged with his own version of the onscreen events, and many of them aren’t too happy with the filmmakers’ vision. Mitchell himself, who claims to have never seen the movie, shared his thoughts with MTV, as did referee Robert Mruczek. Twin Galaxies honcho Walter Day has also issued his official statement in six parts. With all of these contradictory accounts and conspiracy theories, that fictionalized remake may end up being directed by Oliver Stone.
One guy who seems to be fine with his portrayal in the film is Missile Command champion and Twin Galaxies nemesis Roy Shildt, aka Mr. Awesome. You may recall his coinage of the term “chumpatized,” or his impassioned declaration that “no punk bastard ever got a gnarly piece of poontang by being sensitive and considerate.” The DVD includes an extended clip of Mr. Awesome shilling his comic book autobiography, featuring his tips for picking up women; as a gift to you, our loyal readers, you can watch it right here: