Uh Oh, Warner Bros.’ 3D ‘Tarzan’ Movie Might Be in Big Trouble

Tarzan might be stuck up in the trees for a while.

Although Warner Bros. plans to release its upcoming live-action 3D Tarzan film, starring Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie, in July of next year, it looks like that may not happen. According to a new report from THR, sources close to the production reveal that there’s still a lot of work to do on the unfinished film. While that’s hardly unusual in Hollywood, the concern surrounds the fact that another project has taken precedence for Tarzan director David Yates. The director has already begun shooting his next film, Warner Bros.’s Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, while the estimated $180 million Tarzan remains far from completed.

Fantastic Beasts has seemingly distracted Yates from finishing postproduction on the visual effects-heavy Tarzan so much so that he’s only dedicating weekends to the ape man while shooting the J.K. Rowling film during the week. This is an even more worrisome since sources claim an early screening of Tarzan performed badly for test audiences. One unnamed person close to Tarzan told the trade, “Why would you ever crowd a director into starting a movie before his other movie is properly finished?”

Although the studio has said Yates’ oddly-timed transition from Tarzan to Fantastic Beasts was planned, it won't be surprising if jungle adventure isn't finished by its July 1 release date. Another source told THR that at the moment the J.K. Rowling trilogy, the first of which is set to star Eddie Redmayne, is the main priority for the studio. That film, along with their upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, are Warner’s hopes for success, especially following two major flops this year with Pan, which made a measly $15.3 million in its opening weekend, and Jupiter Ascending. 

Can Tarzan get finished in time? And even if it does, will anyone care to see Skarsgard flying through the tree tops in 3D? Worst case, there’s always Robbie’s Harley Quinn to look forward to next August in Warner’s Suicide Squad.