"Hellboy" director Guillermo Del Toro will soon be tackling tamer stuff than demonic heroes and twisted fairytales as he has signed on to direct a "Tarzan" flick for Warner Bros.
According to Variety, Del Toro ("Hellboy," "Pan’s Labyrinth") will direct from a script by "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" and "Happy Feet" writer John Collee.
The Edgar Rice Burroughs-created stories of the jungle boy Tarzan have been remade into no less than fifty official big screen and television films since the character first appeared in Burroughs’ 1912 novel "Tarzan of the Apes." But while Del Toro’s version may turn out more kid-friendly than most of his filmography to date, be sure that the man who brought us "The Devil’s Backbone" and "Blade II" will find all the edges and dark bits there are to find.
Previous incarnations: 1936’s "Tarzan Escapes" (80 percent), 1983’s "Greystoke" (60 percent), 1998’s "Tarzan and the Lost City" (6 percent)
From Variety:
"I’d love to create a new version that is still a family movie, but as edgy as I can make it," Del Toro said. "There are strong themes of survival of a defenseless child left behind in the most hostile environment."
As always, let the long-haired, scantily-clad, cloth-wearing Tarzan casting speculation begin!
Meanwhile, Del Toro’s Golden Globes-nominated Spanish-language dark fantasy "Pan’s Labyrinth" hits American theaters December 29.
