Jessica Chastain May Play A Swinger

Once upon a time you could go to the movies on any random weekend and catch a Tarzan flick. Tarzan was an industry unto itself, but over the years our interest in the Ape Man has waned. And now, like other once-disreputable genres as Westerns and mob movies, the Tarzan film has become something of a prestige picture. Unless you're Caspar Van Dien, I guess.

The latest high-brow Tarzan film is coming from David Yates, the guy who brought the Harry Potter franchise home. In his version Tarzan has already returned to civilization when the Queen asks him to go to the Congo to investigate uprisings and trouble - sort of colonial-era James Bond, I guess. While there's no Tarzan as yet cast, the New York Post reports that Yates wants Jessica Chastain to play Jane, Tarzan's civilized mate. 

The script is by Stephen Sommers and Stuart Beattie, so maybe it's less high-brow than I think. Still, Yates being on board and seeking Chastain does make it seem a bit more hoity-toity than straight pulp.