‘The Legend Of Tarzan’: Alexander Skarsgård Plays Nice With The Apes [Video]

By now, we all know that Tarzan is getting a reboot with Alexander Skarsgård starring as the tree-swinging king of the apes, while Margot Robbie is as stunning as ever in the role of Jane, Tarzan’s romantic interest and partner in crime. A new trailer for The Legend of Tarzan has been dropped to further tease fans waiting for the film to hit theaters, and this one gives simian lovers a better look at Tarzan’s origins.

The Legend Of Tarzan Features Alexander Skarsgård, But The Beasts Are The True Stars

The newest trailer for The Legend of Tarzan tells the origin story of Tarzan, but as might be expected, that story casts the beasts of the jungle in the greatest roles. This Legend of Tarzan trailer reveals how the apes came to be in the possession of the infant Tarzan, as well as how the King of the Apes came to rule the jungle’s beasts and employ them in a war against evil men. Apes aren’t the only beasts answering Tarzan’s call in the trailer. Tarzan is seen calling upon creatures large and small in his fight to keep the jungle safe from men, proving he truly is the Lord of the Jungle.

The books of Edgar Rice Burroughs have previously been adapted for film, but somewhere along the line, the stories of Tarzan have been lost or forgotten, so the origin story told within The Legend of Tarzan won’t be as redundant as the retelling of some superheroes’ pasts. (Ahem… Spidey.) If the trailer is any indication, The Legend of Tarzan will share a thorough retelling of Tarzan’s life before delving into the primary plot of the film, but with a run time of just under two hours, it might be assumed that The Legend of Tarzan will be a fast paced thrill ride.

Alexander Skarsgård And Margot Robbie Find Love Among The Apes

While Alexander Skarsgård plays the hero of this story, he’s not entirely alone. Joined by Margot Robbie as Jane, Tarzan seems poised to take on vile poachers, presumably sanctioned by the British government. Falling in line with the stories penned by Burroughs, Jane is used as bait, even in this Legend of Tarzan trailer, but Robbie’s role seems to have been updated from the damsel in distress usually seen in the stories written by Burroughs, starting in 1912 until his death in 1950. In the clip, Jane defies her captors and thwarts their attempts to use her to ensnare Tarzan, proving that, as is usually the case with Margot’s roles, there’s more to Jane than what audiences might expect.

Skarsgård has said that he’s been through a grueling training and nutrition regiment to obtain the physique and skills necessary for portraying Tarzan. One might think Alexander would be used to that kind of physical conditioning, considering he served as an anti-terrorist soldier in the Swedish army, but he says even that hadn’t prepared him for what he was required to do for the film.

The Legend of Tarzan producers wanted him to appear exactly as Burroughs had imagined him.

“His straight and perfect figure, muscled as the best of the ancient Roman gladiators must have been muscled, and yet with the soft and sinuous curves of a Greek god, told at a glance the wondrous combination of enormous strength with suppleness and speed,” Mr. Burroughs wrote in the first 1912 novel.

Skarsgård reveals that it took four months of intensive physical conditioning and dieting to attain the desired look for his Tarzan role.

Following so closely on the heels of the shooting of Harambe at the Cincinnati Zoo, the latest trailer for The Legend of Tarzan may reignite the turmoil and dissent created by the incident, but critics might take a moment to see The Legend of Tarzan for the lessons it outlines. Even this new trailer proves that apes and other animals are best left alone and free in their natural habitats, where they may only bother man when man encroaches on the wilderness that serves as their home. Though the apes seen in The Legend of Tarzan were undoubtedly created through CGI technology, the story of poachers and big game hunters hunting the real creatures – a running theme through many of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ books – is a real threat facing many of the planet’s endangered species.

The Legend of Tarzan swings into theaters on July 1.

[Image by Warner Bros.]