HitFix

Alexander Skarsgard will emerge from the jungle as ‘Tarzan’ in July 2016

by: Uproxx authors

The latest version of “Tarzan” will be swinging his way to the big screen in 2016. 

“True Blood’s” Alexander Skarsgård will don the loincloth and utter the immortal line “Me Tarzan,” while “The Wolf of Wall Street” breakout star Margot Robbie will play Jane Porter (as in “You Jane”). 

The oft-filmed story finds an orphaned infant being raised by animals in the jungle. After Tarzan is discovered by a group of explorers, he’s brought to London to be introduced to the modern “civilization.” 

It will also reunite “Django Unchained” stars Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson.

Summer 2016 is shaping up to be just as crowded as 2015. Currently, both “Independence Day 2” and the “Angry Birds” movie are aiming for release the same day as “Tarzan,” with an Untitled Marvel Project tentatively following on July 8, 2016. 

“Harry Potter” vet David Yates is directing “Tarzan” from a script based on the classic works of Edgar Rice Burroughs which date back to 1912.

The character has appeared onscreen in dozens of films, most notably a franchise in the ’30s and ’40s starring Johnny Weissmuller; 1984’s “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes”; and Disney’s animated film “Tarzan” (1999).

The new film is being produced by Jerry Weintraub, along with David Barron and Alan Riche.

 
“We have assembled a phenomenal international cast to tell this extraordinary story,” Warner Bros. president Greg Silverman said in a release. Warner Bros. has also enjoyed long and successful collaborations with both David Yates and Jerry Weintraub, and we look forward to seeing what they and the entire team have in store for this timeless tale.”
“Tarzan has been an enduring and enigmatic figure in literature and cinema for more than a century,” Warner’s President of Creative Development Sue Kroll continued. “The adventures of a man who was torn between two worlds has entertained and intrigued people young and old, and we are excited to bring him to the screen for a new generation.”
“This is a perfect entry for the summer movie season corridor, with a terrific combination of action, adventure, romance and suspense that is sure to appeal to a broad audience,” echoed Fellman.
 
“I am so pleased to be reuniting with the team at Warner Bros. on this thrilling project,” added Weintraub. “David Yates and I are going to be using the best of today”s technology in creating this new adventure, and we can”t wait to get started.”

“Tarzan” is scheduled to open July 1, 2016.