Tarzan on the Big Screen….One…More…Time!

Stephen Sommers is in negotiations to direct and co-write a bigscreen version of “Tarzan” for Warner Bros. with Jerry Weintraub producing, according to Variety. Stuart Beattie would share script duty with Sommers. Guillermo del Toro was originally planned for the director’s job but will be too tied-up with helming the two “Hobbit” projects for New Line.

Sommers just wrapped Paramount’s “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra,” and has begun pre-production of the highly anticipated SF remake of “When Worlds Collide.”

Tarzan was originally created by Edgar Rice Burroughs nearly a century ago (1912) with “Tarzan of the Apes” after his first successful writing venue, “Under the Moons of Mars.” One of his other popular works, “John Carter on Mars” will also be turned into a major motion picture in 2012.

Several movies about the legendary character have been done starting with the silent movie era, however, even today, nearly 75 years since first appearing as the talkies King of the Jungle, Johnny Weismuller is still considered the quintessential Tarzan.