Over the last few years we've seen a few big blockbuster projects get shut down due to studio budget concerns. Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger was able to find its way out of trouble when it shrunk its costs from $250 million to $215 million, but other films, like Alex Proyas' Paradise Lost, Jaume Collet-Serra's Akira, and David Dobkin's Arthur & Lancelot, weren't so lucky. So it will be interesting to see which side of history David Yates' Tarzan falls on.
According to Deadline, the vine-swinging adventure film is the latest project to get the brakes thrown on by Warner Bros., with the studio concerned about the film's budget, casting, and ability to shoot this year. In addition to having the Harry Potter filmmaker on-board, it was previously reported that has been attached to play the eponymous jungle man, while there have been strong rumors that Jessica Chastain would be playing his Jane. There were initially plans to start filming this year, but now the production office is being closed down due to a "high budget they just couldn’t reduce to the level that made the studio comfortable." The site also notes that WB has been trying to get Jamie Foxx to come aboard as another lead in the movie, but that a deal has not yet been made.
But for those who really want to see Skarsgard swinging around the jungle, there is some good news: insiders are saying that there is a possibility that the project could be resurrected in 2014, and Yates remains interested in bringing the Edgar Rice Burroughs character back to the big screen. We'll just have to wait and see if he will ever get the chance.
