The Legend of Tarzan (film) is based on a real person.
Tarzan ( John Clayton , Viscount Greystoke ) is a fictional character , an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes ; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer . Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs , Tarzan first appeared in the novel Tarzan of the Apes ( magazine publication 1912 , book publication 1914 ) , and subsequently in 25 sequels , several authorized books by other authors , and innumerable works in other media , both authorized and unauthorized . The Legend of Tarzan is a 2016 American action adventure film based on the fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs .