Although Brendan Fraser set a high watermark for playing a man raised by apes in 1997’s George Of The Jungle, Alexander Skarsgård is going to give it a go with this summer’s The Legend Of Tarzan. Directed by David Yates, the film checks in with Edgar Rice Burroughs’ popular character once he’s returned to civilized society, living life as Lord Greystoke alongside his wife, Jane (Margot Robbie). Of course, Tarzan can’t deny the call of the wild for long, and he’s soon trekking back to the Congo as a trade emissary, working under the shady Captain Léon Rom (Christoph Waltz, accented and villainous, as ever). It’s been a rough summer for “blockbusters,” but The Legend Of Tarzan’s brazen swing into Fourth Of July weekend theaters makes you wonder if they’re hoping audiences will go ape enough to kick-start an Edgar Rice Burroughs Cinematic Universe.
The Legend Of Tarzan opens nationwide on July 1, but The A.V. Club and Warner Bros. Pictures have an opportunity for you to see it for free on Monday, June 27. For your chance to win a pair of passes to the advance screening, simply enter your information here. Remember: Advance screenings are often intentionally overbooked, so be sure to arrive early if you want to guarantee yourself a seat. An official plot synopsis and trailer for the film can be found below.
It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Margot Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the Belgian, Captain Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz). But those behind the murderous plot have no idea what they are about to unleash.