Two-time Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou will join Alexander Skarsgard in the upcoming live-action Tarzan movie based on the iconic Edgar Rice Burroughs character.
As reported by Deadline Hollywood, Hounsou will play a character named Chief Mbonga in the big-screen adventure, which picks up long after Tarzan (Skarsgard) has left the jungle for life in London, only to return to the jungle on a mission from Queen Victoria. Sent to investigate the shady dealings of a mining company, Tarzan tangles with a villain played by Oscar winner Christoph Waltz.
Filming is expected to begin later this year, with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows director David Yates behind the camera and Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Samuel L. Jackson in supporting roles as Jane Porter and an as-yet-unidentified character, respectively. The film is currently expected to hit theaters July 1, 2016.
Hounsou was nominated for Oscars as a supporting actor in 2003’s In America and 2006’s Blood Diamond, and is also well-known for his supporting role alongside Russell Crowe in the 2000 film Gladiator, which certainly offers some evidence of his ability to hold his own in an action movie. He’ll appear next in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movie as Korath the Pursuer, with roles in next year’s Seventh Son and Fast & Furious 7 as well.
