Stephen Sommers, the director of the first two “Mummy” movies, considered that the numerous remakes about Tarzan were not enough and that the jungle hero could inspire him to direct one more.

Sommers is currently in negotiations with Warner Bros. to direct the movie, and he is also going to co-write the script together with Stuart Beattie.

Warner Bros. and producer Jerry Weintraub have been developing a new version of “Tarzan” since 2003, when John August was hired to write the movie’s story. Two years ago, the studio was negotiating with Guillermo del Toro to direct it.

But, as Del Toro was busy writing and directing the forthcoming Lord of the Rings prequels, a new director had to be found.

After he previously filmed versions of Huckleberry Finn and Jungle Book stories in 1993 and 1994 for Disney, Sommers seemed the right person for movie adaptations of classic texts. Sommers and Beattie said they did not intend to stick to the original book, or the other Tarzan sequels, but they were planning an entirely new approach.

Published in 1912, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ book ‘Tarzan of the Apes’ enjoyed a lot of success and was the basis for dozens of movies, TV series, and cartoons.

The Hollywood Tarzan is usually identified with Johnny Weismuller thanks to the series of films MGM released in the 1930s.

Among the big screen adaptations of the book are “The Ape Man,” directed by John Derek in 1981, as well as 1984's Oscar-nominated “Greystoke: the Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes,” starring Christopher Lambert. Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow also made 1998’s “Tarzan and the Lost City,” starring Casper Van Dien.

Then there was Disney’s animated film based on the same character, in 1999, and 1997’s comedy “George of the Jungle,” featuring Brendan Fraser.