Variety: Alexander Skarsgard is frontrunner for WB’s Tarzan
No less a source than Variety is reporting that Alexander Skarsgard of True Blood has the inside track on the role of Tarzan for the upcoming Warner Brothers film, being helmed by David Yates, director of the last four Harry Potter movies.
The article also mentions a “summer start date”, which would mean that this is really moving along at a remarkable clip.
The Variety piece also contains a brief synopsis of the story which is sheds light on where they are going with this.
Here is the Variety article:
Alexander Skarasgard swings into “Tarzan” frontrunner
Alexander Skarsgard has emerged as the frontrunner to topline David Yates’ “Tarzan” movie at Warner Bros.
The “True Blood” star is Yates’ choice to play the vine-swinging hero, sources tell Variety. Skarsgard doesn’t have an offer and the studio hasn’t finalized any casting decisions for the film, which has yet to go before the studio’s greenlight committee.
However, with a summer start date being planned, it is expected to be greenlit before the end of the year, as Warner is high on Yates and wouldn’t tie up his schedule with a movie it has no intention of making.
Should Yates convince Warners brass to sign off on the casting, the 6’4″ Swedish thesp would play John Clayton III, aka Tarzan. Years after he’s reassimilated into society, he’s asked by Queen Victoria to investigate the goings-on in the Congo. Tarzan teams with an ex-mercenary named George Washington Williams to save the Congo from a warlord who controls a massive diamond mine. Samuel L. Jackson is being eyed to play Williams.
Warner Bros. and Skarsgard’s reps had no comment.