After directing the last four Harry Potter movies to phenomenal success, David Yates has taken his sweet time deciding what to do next. That doesn't mean he's been sitting idly by, as he was once attached to direct Your Voice in My Head with Emma Watson, and has an Al Capone trilogy with Tom Hardy circling the title role. But after mulling his options, Yates has decided he wants to hit the jungle first, choosing a big screen version of Tarzan as his next project.
Yates began circling the job back in June, but at the time it was unclear what direction Warner Bros. was going to go in. Craig Brewer(Footloose) was, and presumably still is, developing a rival take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs character, but that version may now be dead and buried. The version Yates will take on features a script by Adam Cozad(Jack Ryan), and already names are starting to emerge as to who will get to wear the loincloth and swing from the trees. Henry Cavill, Charlie Hunnam(Pacific Rim), Tom Hardy, and Alexander Skarsgard(True Blood) are all reportedly being looked at for it, with no one really in the pole position at this stage. All four men have fairly close ties to the studio, but I think it's unlikely Cavill could handle another high-profile franchise after Man of Steel and possibly Justice League. Tarzan would be a tough film to make relevant and cool, but if any one could do it Yates is one of those guys. Certainly it would have to be better than the most recent Burroughs adaptation, John Carter? [Vulture]
