Edgar Rice Burroughs published the first Tarzan story back in 1912 with “Tarzan of the Apes”. Over the years, the character has appeared in more than two dozen books, comics, films and TV shows. IMDb lists over 200 titles for Tarzan, the most recent in 2013 with Kellan Lutz though that film was never released in the United States. Now, Tarzan is back with a new movie, The Legend of Tarzan, coming this summer and a big budget. Can Tarzan compete with the likes of Captain America and the X-Men?

The Legend of Tarzan hasn’t been without its troubles. Early test screenings of the film reportedly did not go well leaving Warner Bros., still feeling the burn of Pan, spooked. Compounding the issue was that director David Yates left the project during post-production to begin filming on another Warner Bros. film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Not exactly ideal for a movie with a $180 million budget and extensive visual effects. (The studio said in a comment to The Hollywood Reporter, “While it’s somewhat unusual, we are extremely comfortable with the production timelines, which were set in advance, and have total confidence in the skill of David Yates.”)

The Legend of Tarzan
loading...

It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the Belgian, Captain Leon Rom (Waltz). But those behind the murderous plot have no idea what they are about to unleash.

The Legend of Tarzan opens in theaters on July 1.

More From Mix 97.1