Originally Posted by
JamesNoBrakes
All of the main characters were supposed to have been played by Peter Sellers, I forget the exact story of why they got Slim Pickins in there instead, but he definitely nailed it.
Sellers reportedly suffered a leg injury, which made it difficult to perform the Kong character’s climbing around in the fake B-52. Kubrick was familiar with Pickens from an earlier film, and made a perfect choice.