While Tarzan has been a staple of literature and pop culture for over 100 years, the character’s popularity certainly isn’t anywhere near the level it was when the original Edgar Rice Burroughs stories were being published and the immediate decades afterwards. In 2016, Warner Bros. Pictures’ brought the Ape Man back to the big screen through The Legend of Tarzan, which stared Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson, but it failed to hit with audiences. Now it’s been reported that Sony Pictures is developing its own Tarzan movie, but I can’t help wondering what this means for a potential live-action remake of Disney’s animated TarzanSince 1999.
The Sony update THRIt was shared that the Tarzan film rights have been purchased by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. They are now ready to make a movie. “total reinvention”This property. The project doesn’t have a writer, director or producer attached, but Sony is reportedly intends to reimagine Tarzan for moviegoers “in this time and space of the 21st century.” This would certainly be a good way for Sony’s TarzanFilm to be distinguished from the traditional TarzanThese stories are set in the late 1800s or early 1900s and have a pulpy feel.
We’ll have to waitAnd see if Sony Pictures has better luck with its Tarzan movie than Warner Bros. did in 2016, but now let’s turn our gaze to Disney. For basically a decade, the studio has been on a tear with making live-action adaptations of its classic animated movies, whether we’re talking straightforward remakes like Beauty and the Beast and AladdinMajor re-imaginings, such as MaleficentAnd Mulan. This run isn’t ending anytime soon, and while Disney hasn’t announced anything about a live-action take on 1999’s TarzanGiven how commercially and critically successful the animated movie was, I believe this has at most been discussed in discussions about future Disney movies.
Sony Pictures is now independent TarzanMaybe that puts a wrench in the works. What’s interesting is that although Edgar Rice Burroughs’ original TarzanWhile stories are in the public domain there are aspects of the property that are private, such as stories Burroughs wrote during the 1940s or ones published after his death in 1950. And either way, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ estate owns the trademark. Sony would need to negotiate a deal to acquire the trademark from the estate. Tarzan movie, that could prevent Disney from making its own movie, regardless of 1999’s Tarzan being one of the Mouse House’s more well-known features.
However, Disney has talked about making a movie. Tarzan remake doesn’t mean it will actually happen. As noted in THR’s article, the original TarzanStories are filled with elements of colonialism, white savior, and racial stereotypes that were prevalent in the early 20th-century. But not anymore. Even though many of Disney’s recent live-action remakes/re-imaginings have had aspects of their stories updated to make them more palatable for 21st century audiences, the studio may feel that tackling Tarzanit is not worth the effort. At least it wouldn’t be alone, as Disney hasn’t said anything about remaking 1995’s Pocahontas, and I’m skeptical about a live-action take on 1996’s The Hunchbacks of Notre DameYou can actually move forward.
There’s also the possibility that Disney may just sit back and play the long game with TarzanSony is currently developing its own version. Remember Dwayne John starred in the movie. HerculesParamount Pictures released a movie back in 2014 and Disney is now starting to make a remake. HerculesGuy Ritchie will direct the 1997 movie. Obviously if Sony’s TarzanIf the movie is the first in a series of films, it could complicate matters further. However, I can see Disney waiting to see what Sony does before making its own deal with Burroughs (assuming that that is even necessary) and maybe waiting until 2029 to release its live action version. TarzanWhen animated TarzanFilm celebrates its 30th Anniversary.
Since Sony’s plans for Tarzan have only just been unveiled, it will likely be a long time until we learn any concrete details about what’s in store for this adaptation, and who knows if Disney will ever announce a Tarzan remake. CinemaBlend will share any updates on these fronts with our news about all upcoming movies.