Warners is sticking closely to the source material, which is darker than most people know, seeing as how most of the knowledge of the material is distilled from Disney's 1967 animated classic. The Warners movie hopes to explore life-and-death issues and be true-to-life in portraying animal behavior. Hiring Serkis, who has pioneered lifelike animal behavior and characterization with his performances in such movies as Rise of the Planet of the Apes, is seen as an important first step. Callie Kloves wrote the script. Her father, Steve Kloves of Harry Potter fame, is producing.
Warner Bros.’ adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book has landed its first voice lead, and it’s elementary. Benedict Cumberbatch will voice Shere Khan, the man-eating tiger who is the villain of the classic tale of a boy named Mowgli who is raised by jungle animals.
Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett Join Warner Bros' 'Jungle Book'
Warner Bros. has cast an entire zoo’s worth of actors for its adaptation of The Jungle Book, which Andy Serkis is directing.
Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, Tom Hollander, Eddie Marsan and Peter Mullan are joining Benedict Cumberbatch to star as the animal characters in the feature. Rohan Chand, the young actor who starred opposite Jason Bateman in Bad Words, will star as the human boy Mowgli.
Serkis will also take on a role.
Callie Kloves wrote the script, adapting the Rudyard Kipling short stories, while her father, Steve Kloves, the screenwriter who wrote seven of the Harry Potter films for the studio, is producing. The movie will employ a mix of motion capture, CG animation and live-action.
Jungle Book centers on Mowgli, an orphaned boy raised by wolves who befriends members of the animal kingdom who help him grow up. Serkis will play Baloo the bear, while Bale will voice Begheera, a fearsome panther, both of whom save Mowgli from the killer tiger Shere Khan (Cumberbatch) and teach him the law of the jungle.
Blanchett will voice Kaa, a sinister python who is also a friend to Mowgli, while Hollander will play Tabaqui, the jackal who is an underling of Shere Khan.
Mullan will be Akela, the leader of the wolf pack that raises Mowgli. Harris is the female wolf Nisha, while Marsan is her mate, Vihaan.
With the casting now complete, Warners’ Jungle Book is ready to go ape-to-ape with Disney, which is also mounting a live-action/CG hybrid with Jon Favreau in the director’s chair.
Never in a million years did I ever think I'd hear the words 'Christian Bale' and 'Jungle Book' in the same sentence. But holy shit. This bodes well for the script.
SilverHeart wrote:Never in a million years did I ever think I'd hear the words 'Christian Bale' and 'Jungle Book' in the same sentence. But holy shit. This bodes well for the script.
