'Legend Of Tarzan' Has A Fascinating History

The man, the myth, the legend Tarzan is swinging into theaters this summer, with the aptly named The Legend of Tarzan coming out July 1. The film picks up about a decade after Tarzan and Jane have left the jungle for England, so unfortunately, it's not a live-action remake of Disney's Tarzan. But given that there is a TV series named The Legend of Tarzan, it's natural to wonder if the movie The Legend of Tarzan is connected to the TV show. Are those shared names simply a coincidence, or a sign of an actual connection?

Coincidence it is. From 2001-2003, Disney created an animated TV series called The Legend of Tarzan, which picked up where the Disney animated film left off, with Tarzan and Jane married and Tarzan now the leader of the apes. But that story is very different than what this upcoming Tarzan movie is about. While it might be cute to see a live-action version of talking animal sidekicks and quirky hijinks on the big screen, the new movie is a lot darker in tone, and totally unconnected to the plotlines featured in the TV series. Both The Legend of Tarzan and its Disney counterparts do have one thing in common, however: they are all based on the characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

And although the film isn't based on one Tarzan book in particular by Burroughs, it seems to take from the overall themes of the books and general stories to piece together a new Tarzan tale entirely. There may not be any singing gorillas in The Legend of Tarzan, but the script, written by Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer, picks up with the titular hero around a decade after Tarzan met Jane. From synopses and the trailers, it seems as though both Tarzan and Jane return to the jungle on their own terms and then... disaster strikes when Jane is kidnapped by Christoph Waltz's Captain Léon Rom. Rom has a dangerous and evil plan that involves luring Tarzan to him and the consequences are deadly.

If the pictures of Skarsgárd shirtless aren't enough to lure you to the theater, maybe the allure of a new, exciting story is. While the tale itself might not be familiar, Tarzan is a beloved character and I, for one, am excited to see him back in action. It's a shame there won't be any singing gorillas, though.

Images: Warner Bros. Pictures