The Next Fay Wray?

Australian actress Naomi Watts is the prime candidate to play King Kong's female friend in Peter Jackson's remake of the 1930s movie, New Zealand media reported Wednesday.

Jackson, currently in Los Angeles for the U.S. premiere of his just-finished film "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," is to start work on the 200 million New Zealand dollar ($130 million U.S.) "King Kong" in Wellington next month.

"It's looking OK" for Watts to sign a contract to play Ann Darrow, the role made famous by U.S. actress Fay Wray in the original movie, Jackson was quoted as saying by Wellington's "Dominion Post newspaper.

It said Jackson met Watts, 35, in London in October to show her some designs for the remake of the movie, to be shot against a stylized period backdrop of New York city.

"She got really excited and it was great. Naomi's the only person that we've really approached because she's becoming so eagerly sought after by everybody," it quoted Jackson as saying.

Watts has made a name for herself in Hollywood with strong performances in "Mulholland Drive" and "The Ring."

Jackson said other cast decisions would be made after he, partner Fran Walsh and writer Philippa Boyens completed a rewrite of the script, due by February 2004. Shooting is planned to start in August, mainly in his Wellington studios, he said.

None of the movie will be shot in New York.

Wellington special effects companies Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, which won Academy awards for their work on Jackson's productions of the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy "The Lord of the Rings," will work on the film.