Tarzan is getting another makeover. The action-adventure icon will trash his loincloth and throw on a pair of khakis for the next big screen take on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic character, who first appeared way back in the Stone Age — er, 1912. Director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) and screenwriter Stuart Beattie (Australia) are ditching the boy-raised-by-apes origin story for a 1930′s-set romp with a hefty helping of romance: Think Pirates of the Caribbean with buffed-and-tanned actors flying through the jungle and sprinting up trees, parkour-style. In recent years, the lord of the jungle has been reincarnated as a Broadway headliner, an animated Disney hero, and even a prime-time TV star — in 2003 the WB produced a modern-day take starring Calvin Klein model (and first-time actor) Travis Fimmel that flopped. This version seems like a safer bet, especially considering Beattie penned one of the earliest drafts of Pirates, which became a worldwide blockbuster.
Dec 3
2008
09:35 PM ET
Tarzan preps big-screen return, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' style
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Broadway HEADLINER, not HADliner.
Stephen Sommers – Run screaming!! If you ditch the backstory how exactly is it still Tarzan?
Tarzan is all about the backstory, you just can’t revamp it any way for the same results. Besides nearly everyone knows the story. Disney almost had it right, if you ignore Rosie and the songs in it. Why? Why? Just throwing money away. This is why I hate Hollywood so much.
Tarzan in khankis??? No raised by apes story??? Sounds like the Godzilla revamp they tried.
That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard. Next thing you know, they’ll be casting Zac Efron in the lead.
okay i’m willing to give some latitude here. the whole ‘raised by apes’ is rather far fetched. so sure lets drop that and say that young John was the child of a couple of Jane Goodall types and was raised among apes. still have something happen to the parents and he spends some time alone a la castaway.
i’m okay with dropping the loincloth for real pants or shorts. jumping around the jungle, the boy diaper is probably not the most practical and safest thing anyway.
short version, I”ll hold judgement until I see the end result. then heckle if it truly sucks
Tarzan exudes manliness and let’s hope they cast it that way
I think this is a huge mistake. Just the preliminary description above tells me that they don’t understand the character or what it is that made the stories so appealing. I’ve seen a lot of recent attempts that try to cash in on a character’s brand recognition that have nothing to do with the original character. The Sci-Fi channel’s attempts to re-introduce Flash Gordon is another good example of this.
“[D]itching the boy-raised-by-apes origin story”? Then it’s not Tarzan anymore! Go ahead and do your 30s action-romance whatzis, but *call it something else*, don’t just paste on a classic character name.
What’s next, a John Carter of Mars movie where Carter is actually a streetwise modern Philly boy instead of a 19th century Virginia farmer? *headdesk*
Perhaps they’re not really ‘ditching the back story’ – hopefully, it’s more that they’re assuming that everyone knows the back-story, and are continuing on with the rest of ERB’s Tarzan tales. After Tarzan was introduced to polite society, and wore khaki’s, smoked cigarettes – with the primal beast hidden beneath that linen shirt.
Am hoping. I hated the 2003 WB tv series.
Come to ERBList.com and join the Discussion Forum there.
I do agree with the rest of theses guys….Tarzan is a super hero without out the super powers and gadgets. He just happend to have the genetics to bwcomw super strong and adgile ; hight IQ. PLEASE don’t change who he is!? I have waited all my life anf exspecially the last 7 or 8 yrs for a real movie about my life time hero. Now with the modern ability to make a Tarzan a reality..
stronger than the apes who raised him,
able to race throught the tress like a squriel and with emmence ferosity in fighting. But later able to mix with civilized people undetected. And he was called a giant; not because he was (being about 6′ 3″…235 lbs) but because he has huge muscles… Gordon scott was the perfect size !!!and very handsome…creted this Tarzan on screne and I believe it will be a BIG success at the box office…PLEASE!!!
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