In an agreement with the estate of the original book’s author Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sony Pictures has purchased the cinematic rights to Tarzan, Deadline has reported.
According to reports, there is no writer, director, or producer linked to the project, which would be a complete reimagining of the well-known character Burroughs initially established in 1912; the author continued to write Tarzan stories into the 1940s.
After his parents were marooned there and perished, Tarzan, an English aristocracy son, was raised by apes in the African bush. Until he was an adult and the “King of the Apes,” he had no experience with Western civilization.
The first film adaptation, Tarzan of the Apes, was released in 1918, making them almost as old as Hollywood. Since then, the series has enjoyed lengthy runs on both the big and small screens, starring actors like Ron Ely and Olympian Jonny Weissmuller. It has also been the subject of Broadway productions and radio adaptations as well as a 1999 Disney animated film.
Alexander Skarsgard starred in Warners’ The Legend of Tarzan, the most current big-screen adaptation, which came out in 2016. With global revenue of roughly $350 million, it broadened its focus to include the imperialist elements of the original IP.
The news of Sony’s agreement was originally reported by THR.