“The Legend of Tarzan”: 37 things you didn’t know about the movie! (List)

1. The Legend of Tarzan is an upcoming American action adventure film drawn upon the fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, scheduled for release in 2016.

2. Directed by David Yates and written by Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer, its cast comprises Alexander Skarsgård in the title role, and Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, Djimon Hounsou and Christoph Waltz.

3. Principal photography began on June 30, 2014, at Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios in the UK, and wrapped four months later on October 3.

4. Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures in Cooperation with Dark Horse Entertainment and Jerry Weintraub Productions are co-producing the film.

5. It is scheduled for release on July 1, 2016 in 2D, 3D, IMAX and IMAX 3D.

6. The film will be dedicated to Weintraub, who died on July 6, 2015.

7. The plot: It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life in London as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane Porter (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 corrupt Belgian Captain Léon Rom (Christoph Waltz).

8. On August 12, 2012, swimmer Michael Phelps was reportedly in talks to join the film to play lead as his debut to showbiz career.

9. On November 7, 2012, the studio was eyeing Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill and Charlie Hunnam to play the title role in the film.

10. On November 14, 2012, Alexander Skarsgård was added to the cast by the choice of director Yates, he’ll play the title role, while Samuel L. Jackson was also being eyed to play Williams in the film.

11. Yates found Skarsgård to be the perfect Tarzan. He liked that he was born in Sweden but found a career in America, so “he has this wonderful quality of not quite belonging to one or the other” he said.

12. On March 6, 2013, Yates wanted Jessica Chastain to play the female lead role as Jane Porter.

13. On September 26, 2013, Christoph Waltz was in talks to play as a villain in the film; he was later cast as a Belgian soldier named Captain Rom who attempts to capture Tarzan in exchange for a ransom in diamonds.

14. The studio had eyes on Margot Robbie and Emma Stone to play the female lead character Jane Porter.

15. Emma Watson, Sarah Bolger, Georgina Haig, Lucy Hale, Lyndsy Fonseca, Eleanor Tomlinson, Gabriella Wilde, Lucy Boynton and Cressida Bonas were all considered for the part.

16. On January 18, 2014, Robbie was confirmed to play the female lead as Jane in the Tarzan film along with Skarsgard, beating Stone to this role.

17. On June 4, Djimon Hounsou was set to play Chief Mbonga in the film.

18. On June 17, Osy Ikhile was added to the cast to play a supporting role but the character wasn’t announced.

19. Ella Purnell was cast as young Jane Porter.

20. Casper Crump was cast to play Captain Kerchover.

21. The release of the first trailer in December 2015 revealed that Jim Broadbent was also a part of the cast.

22. The principal photography on the film commenced on June 30, 2014, at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, UK

23. The filming had begun on the day announcement was made for the expansion of the studio.

24. The filming wrapped-up the same year on October 3.

25. Henry Cavill, Tom Hardy and Charlie Hunnam were considered to play Tarzan. Cavill was too busy performing the role of Clark Kent/Superman for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) (another live action film distributed by Warner Bros.) was the reason he could not be involved with the role of Tarzan.

26. Alexander Skarsgård, to get in Tarzan shape, spent 4 months training non-stop in an “intense and all-consuming” workout regime where he said he “basically didn’t see any family or friends” for the duration of the training period. He bulked up using a heavy weight-lifting routine and chicken diet eventually building highly developed eight pack abs as he’s shirtless throughout the film. Director David Yates described Skarsgård’s Tarzan look as more of a “modern man” that “still has big muscles” but is “more lean, more ripped, more vertical” than the audience has seen before.

27. The film is based on Dark Horse Comics.

28. Jessica Chastain was originally attached to play Jane but after the movie got delayed she dropped out.

29. The film will take place in the Congo and London.

30. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was in talks to play Tarzan.

31. Captain Rom is based on Clayton from the 1999 Disney animated musical film adaptation of Tarzan.

32. This film is dedicated to the memory of Jerry Weintraub, as he died of a heart attack on July 6th, 2015. This is his last film.

33. Guillermo del Toro (2006), Stephen Sommers (2008), and Craig Brewer (2011) were working on the project before David Yates signed on to direct.

34. Christoph Waltz will play the villain Captain Rom.

35. First film after Django Unchained (2012), to have Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson in the cast.

36. Tarzan is the leader of the gorilla tribe.

37. Samuel L. Jackson previously appeared in The Avengers (2012), opposite Stellan Skarsgård, Alexander’s father. He also appeared in Patriot Games (1992), the sequel to The Hunt for Red October (1990), which also featured the elder Skarsgard.