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December 04, 2008


When Warner Bros. announced in September that The Mummy helmer Stephen Sommers was eyeing a big-screen version of Tarzan at Warner Bros., fans new they should expect a fresh take on the character created in the early 1900s by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

But how fresh is too fresh?

It's being reported by Entertainment Weekly that Sommers and Pirates of the Caribbean writer Stuart Beattie are planning an action-adventure take on the story that will ditch the archetypal origin concept of a feral child raised in the African jungle by apes.

The new version, EW says, will be a "1930's-set romp with a hefty helping of romance." The tone of the flick is expected to be along the same lines as Pirates, but with the jungle replacing the high seas.

While the mag doesn't cite a source for their news, they appear assured of its factualness. Just how such a sweeping change will sit with fans remains to be seen.

Recent big-screen takes on the character include Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan with Christopher Lambert, and the 1999 Disney animation, featuring a scandalously Oscar-winning soundtrack from Phil Collins.