‘Legend Of Tarzan’ Trailer Features Half-Naked Alexander Skarsgård? [Video]

The much-anticipated first trailer for Legend of Tarzan, which is, of course, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs character, just hit the internet and Alexander Skarsgård is proving to be a big hit. The actor, who stars as the title character, will be a crowd pleaser among his female fans, as well as with some male fans, with the skimpy outfit he dons in the film. As fans of the Tarzan films may already know, the King of the Apes often wore little more than a loincloth, which required Skarsgård to hit the gym. The Legend of Tarzan star also recently talked about his workout routine, sharing his methods for those interested in obtaining similar results.

The Legend Of Tarzan trailer reveals much more of Alexander Skarsgård than expected

There have been a number of Tarzan adaptations, with Johnny Weissmuller starting the parade of films with 1932’s Tarzan the Ape Man, but Warner Bros. seeks to reboot the jungle hero and build up a franchise with Alexander Skarsgård leading the way in Legend of Tarzan. The new film briefly follows a young Tarzan, as his father’s death results in the boy being raised by wild apes.

The film then advances to show Skarsgård as an older Tarzan with wife Jane Porter (Margot Robbie), as the couple is sent back to the Congo, where Alexander’s character is charged with serving as a trade emissary for the English parliament. Unbeknownst to either Tarzan or Jane, the feral representative is being used by the English government with plans to exploit the jungle.

“You are Tarzan,” a narrator says, presumably speaking to Skarsgård in a flashback or memory. “You may not like who you are. You may have enemies, but you need to go home.”

Even the trailer is laden with images of a half-naked Tarzan swinging from jungle vines, showing off Skarsgård’s form and agility. There are also sequences showing Margot Robbie’s unfortunate character in peril, so we can expect Tarzan to swing in and rescue the damsel in distress.

Alexander Skarsgård explains how he toned his physique for Legend Of Tarzan

For those fans suspecting that isn’t really Alexander Skarsgård swinging from the vines in the Congo, the Legend of Tarzan actor wants fans to know that that really is him. No stunt double or trick photography. Mr. Skarsgård also says he’s very critical of the way those scenes look on film, saying he thinks they could have been better.

Even so, Alexander says training for those scenes was almost as difficult and challenging as performing the scenes themselves. Skarsgård credits his trainer and nutritionist for the final results, which came about from a very extreme routine. The Legend of Tarzan actor says he has never tried a regimen as extreme as this and he was nervous about the effects it would have on his body.

For those interested in knowing Skarsgård’s secret, the actor says it involved “a lot of chicken cutlets and crunches.”

At one point, it seemed that Alexander’s morale needed a boost, because his trainer took pity on him.

“He was like, ‘Alex, let’s go for lunch,’ and we went to this Italian restaurant in Notting Hill and sat down and he was like, ‘Order what you want,” Skarsgard recalled. “I started crying. He was like, ‘Have pasta,’ and I had it and then he was like, ‘Are you still hungry?’ I was like, ‘Yeah!’ He was like, ‘Have a pizza then, have some tiramisu.’ It was the best meal of my life.”

Legend of Tarzan, starring Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, and Christoph Waltz, opens on July 1 in theaters.

[Image by Warner Bros.]