According to the Burroughs novels, an expedition and subsequent marooning by mutineers lands Jane Porter, Tarzan's love interest, on the same coast. Jane has an adventurous spirit and a heart of gold. The Baltimore native is a damsel in distress only by narrative formality-she can hold her own in the jungle.

Jessica Brown Findlay is our pick for Jane. Findlay's most recent work has been confined to the halls Downton Abbey where she plays Sibyl, the renegade daughter of the aristocratic family. With beauty to match her spark, we think Findlay can play a Jane raised in a standard of 20th-century Western decorum, and molded by the wildness of the jungle. 

Clayton is Tarzan's long-lost cousin who accompanied the Porters on their expedition. In the universe of Tarzan adaptations, Clayton is generally pegged as a bad guy (or at least Tarzan's rival) proposing to Jane in one instance, and initiating an assault on the ape tribe in Disney's 1999 adaptation.

Dominic Cooper is almost too handsome to be trusted, which is exactly what we have in mind for a duplicitous Clayton. Cooper hasn't had as much good exposure as seems warranted for an actor of his ability, but we're confident he has the smooth talk to ensnare the trust of Tarzan and Jane.

Photo by Mary McCartney, Interview, March 2007

Tarzan's ape mother Kala is about as kindhearted as apes come. She and Tarzan form an instant bond that transcends the biological difference and the wrath of Kerchak.

Voicing maternal characters is, oddly enough, something Angela Bassett has a lot of experience with: she breathed life into Miles' mom in the 1999 animated feature Our Friend, Martin, Michelle Obama on The Simpsons, and Brad Pitt's boss in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Kala is virtually written for the 54-year-old actress. 

Photo by George Lange, Interview, December 1992

Terk, Tarzan's partner in crime, is a wanton and charming tomboy ape that never fails to bring out Tarzan's playful side. Disney may have invented this character, but we rather like her.

The last five years of Emma Stone's career has seen a slew of blockbuster comedies and a few blips in voice-acting, so we're confident her comedic chops can pervade Terk's character. She also makes a good successor to Rosie O'Donnell, who took on Terk in Disney's production.

Photo by Mikael Jansson, Interview, September 2012

"Tall, dark, and handsome" doesn't quite seem to do Tarzan justice. The vine-swinging "wild boy" has near-superhuman capabilities and clings more to nature than he does his humanity. According to Burroughs' novels, Tarzan quickly picked up English with the arrival of his wife-to-be, adding to his linguistic arsenal of French, Dutch, German, Swahili, Bantu languages, and the ape language. Tarzan is empathetic and deeply devoted to those he loves, ape and human alike.

We're going with Warner Bros. on this one. Credentials-wise, Henry Cavill will have already taken two stabs at big-screen hero by the time Tarzan rolls into production as Theseus in Immortals (2011) and Superman in Man of Steel (2013). Cavill looks the part also looks the part, with his brawny physique and cavernous eyes. Though his linguistic credentials don't exactly meet Tarzan's (he is fluent in English and French, and conversant in Italian and German), we think Cavill deserves to add King of the Jungle to his store of heroic epithets. 

Photo by Mary McCartney, Interview, April 2008

Kerchak, leader of the ape tribe, suffers from threatened alpha male syndrome. Responsible for the death of Tarzan's father, Kerchak is less than thrilled when the human boy is taken in as one of the ape tribe's own.

Assuming that Kerchak will be played by a voice actor, we're going with Ving Rhames. The Pulp Fiction star also has voice-acting on his resume, including Lilo and Stitch, The Proud Family, and a few video games. We think Rhames can lead the ape tribe and show his distaste for Tarzan, but also command the paternal figure Kerchak inevitably becomes to our hero.