David Yates

One of the major truths of the entertainment industry is that there will never be a more interesting movie than the one you haven’t yet made. This weekend, while The Legend of Tarzan director David Yates was gently trying to nudge conversations towards his film currently in theaters, people were understandably curious about his upcoming return to Hogwarts, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. And Yates let a particularly interesting piece of information drop.

The Legend of Tarzan, based on the pulp hero by Edgar Rice Burroughs, focuses on a version of the jungle hero who’s long since given up swinging on vines and yelling at the top of his lungs. He doesn’t even answer to the name Tarzan anymore; he’s John Clayton, Lord of Greystroke and a famous celebrity in England, where he lives with Jane, who’s now his wife. He’s sort of like the version of Hercules from the underrated Dwayne Johnson movie from 2014, the “real” man behind a puffed-up myth. He’s also sort of like Gene Wilder’s character from Young Frankenstein without the sense of humor; denying his history and lying to himself about his true identity until the day his past comes back to haunt him. If “Young Frankenstein, but not funny” sounds like a troubling description for a movie, it should.

What makes this Tarzan different? Well, for one thing, he’s got his own hashtag. (#LegendOfTarzan)

Warner Bros. has unveiled a special treat for Harry Potter fans this weekend with this new behind-the-scenes featurette from the set of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which promises a wild, magical and awe-inspiring new adventure. The film marks the screenwriting debut of Potter author J.K. Rowling, whose praises are sung quite fondly in this new video.

As far as these “teaser for the teaser trailer” things go, the “announcement trailer” for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a welcome change of pace. Featuring absolutely zero footage and with no hint of smug indulgence, this simple but elegant tease from Warner Bros. has us more excited about the first trailer for the upcoming film than one of those typical, obnoxious teaser-for-the-teaser-for-the-trailer videos would. Good job, WB.

Following today's first look at The Legend of Tarzan comes the first official trailer for the film, which revives the classic character with the help of Alexander Skarsgard and Harry Potter director David Yates. For those that suspected the new Tarzan film might be a bit silly, the trailer is filled with striking imagery and epic action shots, promising a movie that will be quite lovely to look at, at the very least.

Making his first appearance in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 adventure serials, Tarzan has assumed a comfortable placement in the annals of pop culture. The Lord of the Apes appears every decade or so for a new spin on the classic tale of the feral child raised by primates to be the king of the jungle, with film adaptations bringing his savage grace to life in numerous live-action and animated outing

Looking for something to (temporarily) quell your Hogwarts withdrawals? Warner Bros. has just the thing. Accio Fantastic Beasts!

Tarzan might be stuck up in the trees for a while. Although Warner Bros. plans to release its upcoming 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.

The casting recently began falling into place for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but the Harry Potter spinoff isn’t done just yet — Samantha Morton has joined the line-up of the upcoming film, which has begun shooting in London. Given that the story brings its protagonist over to New York, it shouldn’t be long before filming commences stateside.