The 2005 book King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson covered the six King Kong movies that had been produced up at that time: King Kong (1933), The Son of Kong (1933), King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962), King Kong Escapes (1967), King Kong (1976), and King Kong Lives (1986), providing in-depth chapters chronicling the conception, production, release, and legacy of each film.The book also contained chapters on other Kong-related projects, as well as a brief preview of Peter Jackson's 2005 King Kong remake, which had not yet opened at the time of the book's publication and so could not be examined in depth.

Since the book's publication, Jackson's film was released and two additional Kong films have been produced: 2017's Kong: Skull Island and 2021's Godzilla Vs. Kong. There has also been a major Broadway musical version of the story, two new animated series, and a number of novels, comic books, and graphic novels. There is also a new film on the way: Godzilla Vs. Kong 2, which is currently slated for release in 2025.

With so much new Kong material to cover and a new Kong film on the way, this expanded and updated version of the book is the most complete, thorough, and comprehensive history of the cinematic King Kong possible.