David Yates‘ ambitious TARZAN is shutting down according to Deadline. The production office setup for the film at Warner Bros has been closed and all plans to try and mount the production this year are seemingly off. Those involved at the studio say that the movie is not cancelled and Yates may attempt to try again in 2014.
The movie looks to have suffered from a swelling budget that the studio was wary of in a year where they already have a lot of big projects in the works. TRUE BLOOD star Alexander Skarsgard was tied to the title role of the Ape Man with Jessica Chastain and Jamie Foxx in contention for supporting roles. The reboot was rumored to follow this plot:
Years after he’s re-assimilated into society, [John Clayton III, a.k.a. Tarzan] is 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 fierce warlord who controls a massive diamond mine.
TARZAN is a recognizable name and a definite franchise starter, but with that other Edgar Rice Burroughs character JOHN CARTER flopping last year, WB had to be extra cautious. With them going as far to shut this rumored $130 million project down temporarily, I doubt it will be coming back in this incarnation any time soon.