Was David Barron already developing it while you were finishingPotter?
I was reading so many different scripts, and they always felt a little one-note.
They had lots of action or they were comedies.
So many different tones.
It had this big beating heart.
It had this really moving romance between Tarzan and Jane.
None of the other scripts I was reading at the time, had that emotional core.
It felt timeless in a very beautiful way, and it didnt feel one-note.
It felt like it had a lot of moods and I got excited by that.
And so I dived in.
In most of theTarzanmovies were used to, hes still in the African jungle being Tarzan.
Did that also intrigue you or was that something you came up with as you were developing it?
That intrigued me, and I liked that.
That felt fresh and connected.
Also, I hadnt seen a big action adventure romance for a while.
I was a little nervous from the way they were talking about it.
Alex is no stranger to that sort of thing from doingTrue Blood.
What made you think of him to play Tarzan?
Was it hard finding the right actor?
I liked his shape, his physicality and his length.
Theres something lovely and graceful and beautiful about his long arms, his long legs.
I could see that he could play really nuanced, beautiful delicate introverted characters in a very interesting way.
I liked the fact that he had a bit of a profile withTrue Bloodand the rest of it.
People were aware of him but he wasnt a major star.
How did you arrive at her and get her to play Jane?
We think shes going to be really special.
You have a different relationship with J.K. Rowling while doingFantastic Beastsbecause shes now writing the screenplay.
She came to set a lot more than when we were doingPotterand its lovely.
Its all original stuff and its all from Jos head, so its not adapting a body of work.
Shes a great partner.
Theyre all terrific, and Im really looking forward to showing people the movie.
Its coming together really well.
I am going to do aFablesmovie, but we are working on the secondBeastsmovie.
The Legend of Tarzanopens nationwide on Friday, July 1 with previews on Thursday night.
