Writer Commentary: Tarzan

 

Tarzan

Genre: Action/Adventure

Director: James Wan

Writer: APJ

Based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Cast: Jason Momoa, Hayley Atwell, Timothy Spall, Richard Armitage, Cosmo Jarvis, Adelaide Kane, Otis Dhanji, Ritchie Coster, Babs Olusanmokun, Peter Mensah, Lesley-Ann Brandt

Plot: The year is 1888. John Clayton (Cosmo Jarvis), an aristocrat and officer with the British Army, has been given a new mission to train soldiers in a remote British West Coast African Colony. He and his pregnant wife Alice (Adelaide Kane) set sail for the sun-drenched shores of Africa. Alice is nervous about giving birth to their child in a savage land, but John assures Alice that they are going to a region that has been colonized and has doctors and nurses to help deliver their first child. The Claytons' small ship slices through the choppy Atlantic waters. John stands on deck, his eyes scanning the horizon. John points out some storm clouds to Alice, telling her the waters may soon get rough. The storm hits the area sooner than expected. The waves crash over the ship. John clutches the wheel, desperately trying to navigate through the storm. The ship's wood begins splintering from the storm's onslaught. The ship splits in two. John rushes to Alice's side, both clinging onto a piece of ship to keep them afloat. [1]

[1] I remember a while back John Malone listed Superman and James Bond as his two dream characters to writer for. At that time I don't think either had happened. Around that time I started thinking about what characters would be my "pie in the sky" choices. One would be Batman, which I had already done, but it took some thinking on the second character. Then I looked at my book shelf a dozen or so Tarzan books just sitting there. It was then that I started thinking about Tarzan on the big LRF screen.

By morning, the storm has passed. John wakes up, washed ashore a pristine beach. He staggers to his feet, scanning the horizon. He frantically begins searching for Alice. After a desperate moment, the surf pushes Alice ashore near him. She gasps for breath. John carries her to dry land. John's survival instincts kick in. He salvages driftwood, rope and canvas from what he can find of the wreckage, using it to build a small shelter at the edge of the treeline. That night while Alice sleeps, John listens to the sounds of the wild around them. In the morning, John tells Alice that he is confident that with the wildlife nearby, there has to be a source of food and water that will be able to sustain them until they are either rescued or he is able to built a new ship. [2]

[2] One of my biggest challenges writing Tarzan was trying to figure out what angle to take. WB had done a Tarzan film in the last decade or so that seemed to suck all the fun and pulp out of the character, so it was then that I started thinking about how to make Tarzan fun and adventurous again.

John is able to fashion a makeshift ax from a shard of flint, which he uses to create a clearing around their shelter. The fallen trunks create much needed timber to secure their shelter and to eventually build a boat with. One day, John ventures deeper into the wilderness to hunt for food when he hears Alice cry out his name. John sprints back to the shelter, finding the pregnant Alice in the middle of labor. Alice screams out, gripping John's hand, as she gives birth to a baby boy. Alice insists they name the baby John, after his father who kept them alive in a dangerous jungle. John documents the birth in his journal where he has begun writing of their survival in the jungle and their life before it. Before long though, Alice becomes feverish as an infection has taken hold. John can do nothing but keep his wife comfortable and watch as the life fades from her face. John buries Alice near the shelter. The baby cries out. John climbs up a tree to fetch a coconut, feeding the baby the milk from it to quell his crying and provide much needed nutrients.

John works harder than ever on a new ship to take he and his infant son back to England. As he chops violently away at the wooden trunks, a group of gorillas watch from the jungle nearby. Kerchak, the biggest and most ferocious of the gorillas, and therefore the natural leader, lets out a primal roar as he lunges after John, who manages to strike the ape with his ax. This does little to slow down Kerchak though, who grabs John and crushes the life out of him. As John's lifeless body lay on the ground of the clearing, the infant begins to cry. Kala, a gentle mother ape, enters the shelter and finds the crying baby. She cradles the baby, who stops crying. Kala carries the infant away from the Claytons' shelter, bringing him back to the gorilla nest. [3]

[3] This first act - or prologue as I like to think of it - sticks pretty close to Edgar Rice Burroughs' original novel's opening. In the novel, Tarzan's parents are actually stranded when the crew of the ship they are traveling on is overtaken by the crew in an act of mutiny. Then because Clayton wasn't a jerk to them, they stranded him on the deserted shore rather than killing him and his wife. That seemed like it would take up too much screen time and delay the introduction of our titular character even further, so I went with a storm. The murder of John by Kerchak the ape is taken directly from the novel - and it was one of the first things I knew I had to include since he actually has never been on the big screen before in the correct capacity.

The year is 1906. Teenage Tarzan (Otis Dhanji) feels alienated from the tribe of gorillas due to his different appearance and lack of strength in comparison. Lonely and exploring the jungle, he stumbles upon the shelter his father had built now dilapidated and covered in vines. Tarzan pushes aside the vines and steps inside. He finds a photograph of John and Alice on their wedding day. Tarzan quickly notices that their faces look his own. Tarzan also finds his father's journal, and he begins flipping through the pages. Even though he cannot read the words, he senses that it is important. Kerchak has followed Tarzan and confronts him. Tarzan tries to run away but is quickly overpowered by the great ape. Scrambling for safety, Tarzan's hand finds his father's old ax. Kerchak leaps at Tarzan, accidentally impaling himself upon the ax. Tarzan staggers back, stunned that he not only survived an attack from Kerchak, but came out the victor. The other gorillas from his tribe emerge, Kala leading them. They grunt and cheer on Tarzan for ending Kerchak's reign. As Kala gives her son a hug, the other gorillas all bow down before their new alpha, Tarzan. [4]

[4] Something I found myself struggling with was the lack of action sequences before we see grown-up Tarzan, so a scene of teenage Tarzan avenging his father's death - without really knowing it - seemed like an exciting way to prepare audiences for the type of action the rest of the film would (hopefully) bring them.

The year is 1924. Jane Porter (Hayley Atwell) ventures through the jungle as the assistant to her father, the eminent Professor Archibald Porter (Timothy Spall), the famed British biologist who has come to the continent of Africa to study the connection between man and ape. Their guide through the jungles is the enigmatic Russian adventurer Nikolas Rokoff (Richard Armitage). After a long day of hiking through the jungle toward gorilla territory, Rokoff, his henchman Alexis Paulvitch (Ritchie Coster), and Professor Porter begin setting up camp. Bundles of dynamite slip out of Rokoff’s bags, but he is able to quickly hide them before Professor Porter can notice.

Meanwhile, Jane wanders off and finds a swimming hole. She sheds her clothes and dives into the water to cool off. Above, unseen by Jane, a grown up Tarzan (Jason Momoa) watches from above, following her every movement. [5] Jane swims, carefree, through the water until she spots a large snake in the water next to her. She quickly leaves the water, frightened. With her heart pounding, Jane begins putting her clothes back on when she finds herself cornered by a large African leopard. Just as the leopard is about to leap toward Jane, Tarzan swings down from a vine. He gives a loud battle call as he swings down and grapples with the big cat. Jane runs away, half-dressed, into the jungle. Tarzan and the leopard chase each other through the trees, leaping from one to another. Finally, Tarzan outflanks the leopard and tackles it, sending both crashing down into the water below. As the two struggle with each other in the water, the large snake joins the fray, baring its fangs at Tarzan and the leopard. Tarzan pushes the leopard toward the snake, who sinks its fangs into the leopard, pumping it full of deadly venom. Tarzan exits the water and sees the rest of Jane's clothing still sitting by the shore. Jane realizes that she is lost in the jungle and begins calling out for her father, but she has wandered out of earshot of the camp. Tarzan catches up with her. Jane is afraid of this jungle man at first until she notices that he is returning her clothing. 

[5] Casting Tarzan himself was obviously one of the biggest decisions that had to be made with this project. I looked at a lot of different actors and directors, trying to figure out the best combination. Other finalists for the title role were names like Henry Cavill, Tom Hardy, and Ryan Gosling. I have to give a huge thanks to Chad Taylor for putting the idea of Jason Momoa as Tarzan in my head. I originally had been looking at more traditional casting takes, but Momoa is the only one I could really picture as having grown up in the jungle raised by apes. Once I had Momoa set, it only made sense to bring in James Wan since they seemed to enjoy working together on the Aquaman films.

A torrential rain storm descends upon the jungle, turning leaves into drums. Professor Archibald Porter, paces, worried about the whereabouts of his daughter Jane. He is about to head off into the jungle after her, but Rokoff blocks the path, urging him to wait for her by the fire. He then orders Paulvitch to pile more wood onto the fire to make it bigger and more visible. 

Jane is unsure of where to go in the storm for shelter. Tarzan silently guides her to a treehouse he has built above the jungle. Inside are many of the items from the Claytons' shelter, including the photograph of John and Alice and John's journal. Jane begins looking through the items, quickly realizing that her mysterious jungle protector is the long lost heir to the Lord Greystoke title that John Clayton had held. Jane tries to communicate with Tarzan, learning that he does not know how to speak English. She points to herself, repeating her name "Jane". She then points to him. He struggles to find the syllables, finally uttering out "Tarzan". [6]

[6] I love the chemistry between Momoa and Atwell in this scene - and the rest of the film as a whole. At this point, I cannot imagine anyone else other than those two together. Their chemistry is fun and romantic - another element I have found lacking in a lot of previous Tarzan adaptations. Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie did not sizzle in The Legend of Tarzan, and Christopher Lambert and Andie MacDowell had zero chemistry in Greystoke - which wasn't helped by Lambert not knowing English and MacDowell's entire vocal performance being dubbed over by Glenn Close. I wanted that Johnny Weissmuller-Maureen O'Sullivan chemistry but in a modern blockbuster way. One film I always went back to as a tonal comparison for what I wanted for my Tarzan were the Brendan Fraser-Stephen Sommers Mummy movies, which featured top-notch chemistry between Fraser and Rachel Weisz.

As morning dawns, Tarzan helps lead Jane back to her father and the camp. Professor Porter is relieved to see his daughter safe and sound and asks where she was all night. Jane points toward the trees where Tarzan is perched. He is wary of the sight of other men and leaves when Jane tries to introduce him, swinging away into the foliage. Professor Porter is fascinated by the sight of Tarzan, believing he could be a missing link on the evolutionary chart between ape and man. Professor Porter encourages Jane to befriend the ape-man so they can learn more. Jane laughs at her father, telling him that Tarzan is not part-ape - he is the son of John Clayton, the Lord of Greystoke. Professor Porter is at first disappointed that Tarzan is not an undiscovered humanoid species, but the information triggers his mind, remembering aloud that Clayton and his wife were lost at sea and presumed to be drowned. Jane tells her father that she read part of John Clayton's journal which described washing ashore and tending to his pregnant wife until she gave birth to her child, a baby boy. Jane then tells her father that the baby boy in question is Tarzan, who has survived in the jungle all these years. [7]

[7] The character of Professor Archibald Porter - who I changed the first name of from Archimedes - was very useful to have as a way to pump out a lot of exposition while also bringing a smidge of comedic relief. Timothy Spall has always felt underrated to me, so I had a joy developing the character with him.

Rokoff and Paulvitch, meanwhile, are studying a secret map which purports  to reveal the location of the ancient lost city built on gold called Opar. Rokoff curses the map as it is not made up to modern standards, meaning they still will have some work cut out for them if they are to find the treasure they seek. Paulvitch suggests they simply find someone who knows the jungle to guide them, then kill them and take the treasure for themselves. Rokoff likes the sound of that idea. [8]

[8] Rokoff and Paulvitch both appeared as villains in a couple of the Tarzan books, so Russian spy and count Rokoff and his henchman Paulvitch seemed like a natural choice to give some Euro villain flavor to the story.

Jane takes her father to Tarzan's treehouse, where he is fascinated by the artifacts of Tarzan's past that he has gathered. While he studies John Clayton's journal, Jane continues to teach Tarzan to speak. Once he can say his name - and hers - they move on to simple nouns, verbs, adjectives. Jane has begun to fall for Tarzan and asks her father for advice. He tells her that the heart does follow the rules of science or logic, it follows its own rules. Professor Porter tells his daughter that she must listen to her heart instead of the mind.

Rokoff and Paulvitch make their way to the village of the Waziri tribe. Rokoff demands that the tribe's chief, Muviro (Babs Olusanmokun), lead them to the lost city of Opar as their map describes. Muviro tells Rokoff that his tribe has never encountered the city, but there is one man who knows the jungle better than anyone - the man-ape Tarzan - as he knows the jungle's heart. [9]

[9] Like many of the details I chose to include in this film, Muviro and the Waziri tribe should ring a bell as they have also appeared in multiple Tarzan novels. I really wanted this world of Tarzan's Africa to feel very developed, lived-in, and with its own history.

Jane visits her father's camp where she and Professor Porter are held at gunpoint by Rokoff and Paulvitch. Rokoff kidnaps Jane and drags her through the jungle until confronted by Tarzan. Rokoff smiles and demands that Tarzan lead him to Opar. Tarzan does not understand what he means. Rokoff pulls out the map and Tarzan recognizes some of the symbols on it. Rokoff promises to release Jane unharmed if Tarzan leads them to the location. Tarzan reluctantly leads them through a labyrinth of jungle until they reach a massive ancient wall. Rokoff matches engravings on the wall to symbols on the map. Rokoff tells Tarzan that he wishes he could say he's a man of his word, but even he isn't that deluded. Rokoff then fires his rifle at Tarzan, hitting him in the shoulder. Professor Porter objects, but is held at bay by the weapons of the Russians.

Rokoff employs the Waziri tribe to help break down the wall, promising to pay them with some of the treasures they find within the walls. The tribe slaves away as a reluctant workforce for Rokoff. When Muviro sees the unconscious Tarzan, barely holding onto his life, he carries him away from Opar's walls, deep into a swampy part of the jungle that is home to Futa (Peter Mensah), the witch doctor. [10] Rokoff becomes impatient with the progress of the Waziri tribe at knocking down the wall, so he and Paulvitch begin prepping bundles of dynamite he has traveled through the jungle with.

[10] Witch doctors and African spiritual folklore were long part of the book series that hasn't really been brought to any of the big screen adaptations before, so I had to include. One of the cool, unique aspects of working on this film was getting to find some African-born talents to portray the African characters. It allowed me the privilege of working with great talents like Peter, Babs, and Lesley-Ann.

Futa performs a healing ritual for Tarzan. As herbs are burned and ancient spells are whispered by the witch doctor, Tarzan's wounds begin to rapidly heal. Finally, Tarzan leaps to his feet, his strength renewed. Muviro informs Tarzan what has happened. Tarzan and Muviro charge through the jungle, back toward the walls of Opar when they hear a massive explosion and feel the earth rumble beneath their feet. Their pace quickens.

The walls of Opar crumble in a cloud of dust. Rokoff calls out for the Waziri to begin searching for his gold, but something stirs in the ruins of Opar. Humanoid leopard people emerge from the city's structures, members of the ancient Leopard Society. Their queen, La (Lesley-Ann Brandt), cries out a feline war cry. Rokoff and Paulvitch arm themselves and head into the temple at the center of Opar, dragging Jane along, believing the treasures they seek will be there, leaving the Waziri to fend for themselves against the attacking Leopard Society. Rokoff and Paulvitch shoot their way through the carnage until Paulvitch is mauled by multiple leopard people. [11]

[11] Another prominent element of the books that has long been eschewed by the various adaptations is the supernatural and creature elements. In fact, the only times I can think of where adaptations really dove headfirst into the fantastical are the 1990s TV series "Tarzan: The Epic Adventures" on the small-screen and and 1998's Tarzan and the Lost City on the big screen - which is a very underrated Tarzan adaptation featuring Casper Van Dien in the title role right around the time of Starship Troopers that I would rank ahead of most other modern takes. 

Tarzan arrives in Opar to see the ongoing battle between the Leopard Society and the Waziri tribe. Muviro joins his tribesmen in battle. Tarzan fights through the crowd, arming himself with spears from fallen Waziri, on a desperate search for Jane. Tarzan finds a tied up Professor Porter and cuts him free. Porter leads Tarzan to the temple where Rokoff has taken Jane. 

Inside the temple, Rokoff has found the treasure he has sought - a giant mountain of gold. He begins greedily filling his pockets with gold when La emerges with a roar. Jane tries to calm the situation, but La begins chanting a spell that shakes the earth. Lava begins erupting from cracks in the floor of the temple, which has been built atop an underground volcano. Rokoff tries to run away, but is weighed down by gold and falls to his demise into a molten sinkhole. La, thinking that all the others are there for the gold of Opar as well, continues her attack and is about to kill Jane when Tarzan swoops into action, blocking La's bladed scepter. La then turns her attack toward Tarzan. [12]

[12] The climactic action sequence is where I feel that my influences from The Mummy, as well as Pirates of the Caribbean, are probably most apparent - between the scale, action, drama.

Muviro calls off his Waziri tribe, convincing them that all the gold in the world is not worth the deaths of the people. The Waziri flee from the violently erupting volcano as lava flies through the air. They still must fight their way out of Opar against the seemingly unstoppable leopard people.

Professor Porter unties his daughter. Jane grabs Rokoff's fallen gun and fires it toward La as a warning shot. La pauses her attack. Tarzan and the Porters back away, trying to convince the leopard queen that they have no desire for her gold. She hisses at them as they continue to back away as the earth continues to rumble. La slams her scepter into the floor, causing the eruption to suddenly stop. The leopard society stops their attack, all returning back into the ancient structures of Opar. Tarzan, Jane, Professor Porter and the Waziri tribe all leave Opar. On their way out, the Waziri begin piling up stone to reseal the walls to Opar, realizing now that a wall was built around the city for a reason.

Tarzan accompanies Jane and Professor Porter to a port where a ship is waiting to take them back to England. Professor Porter asks Tarzan if he wants to come back with them to claim his family's estate and his rightful title. Tarzan does not see any meaning in those, claiming that the jungles of Africa are his home. Jane gives Tarzan a brief kiss before she boards the ship. Tarzan is saddened to see Jane drift away on the boat. Aboard the boat, Professor Porter sees how much his daughter has grown to love Tarzan. He tells her that he would not be offended if Jane chose to stay in Africa with Tarzan. Jane gives her father a big hug and dives into the water, swimming back to shore and into the arms of Tarzan. They share a passionate kiss in the African surf. Tarzan tells Jane there is someone he would like her to meet. Tarzan leads Jane through the jungle to the gorilla nest where they are greeted by an elderly Kala. Tarzan gives his gorilla mother a hug and introduces her to Jane. Kala reaches out and touches Jane's cheek, accepting Jane as another member of the family. [13]

[13] That was Tarzan for you. It was some of the most fun I've had writing since it gave me the excuse to dive into my collection of Tarzan novels for inspiration and kind of reinvigorate that love. I assure you, Tarzan will eventually return to LRF screens. I just need to hunker down and write the thing!