Tarzan may be swinging into theaters in a couple of years after all.  Director David Yates had been developing the project since 2012 as his follow-up to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, but earlier this year word came that Warner Bros. was putting the brakes on Tarzan due to budget concerns.  The future of the project was uncertain as potential filming was pushed to 2014, but now it appears that things are back on track as Christoph Waltz has entered talks to take on the villain role opposite Alexander Skarsgard, with an official greenlight potentially imminent.  Hit the jump for more.

The folks over at Variety report that Christoph Waltz is in talks to play the villain role in Yates’ Tarzan, a military figure that crosses paths with Skarsgard’s titular character.  While Jessica Chastain was previously in the mix to play female lead Jane, apparently Emma Stone and The Wolf of Wall Street star Margot Robbie are now among the actresses currently being considered for the role.  Offers have not gone out to Stone or Robbie, so the likelihood of either actress signing on is unclear.

Yates is still waiting for an official greenlight on the project, but that might come as early as November with a summer 2014 production start-date.  Should that occur, we might see Tarzan in theaters as early as December 2015 or summer 2016.  The script has gone through a number of drafts by scribes like John August, Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, and most recently Adam Cozad.  Hopefully we hear more firm word soon, but the prospect of Yates getting another film into theaters sooner rather than later is certainly exciting.