Joe DeVito

Joe DeVito is an American artist and writer who has worked with the Merian C. Cooper estate since 1996 to develop authorized extensions of the King Kong mythology. With Brad Strickland, he co-wrote Kong: King of Skull Island (2004), an illustrated hardcover presenting an origin story for Kong, published with an introduction by stop-motion pioneer Ray Harryhausen. DeVito and Strickland followed it with Merian C. Cooper's King Kong (2005), a full rewrite of the original 1932 novelization that modernizes its language, corrects its paleontology, and adds new chapters woven together so the two books form a continuous storyline. DeVito's contributions are considered part of the King Kong franchise's official canon, extending the character's story as both a prequel and a reimagining of its origins.