When you think of old and wise, you can’t do much better than Sir Ben Kingsley. So, when the perfect voice needed to be chosen for the black panther Bagheera, director Jon Favreau went for the man who was not The Mandarin. Kingsley joins the already stellar cast that includes Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, and Lupita Nyong’o as Rakcha, Mowgli’s wolf mother.
There are currently no live action cast-members that have been announced, but expect more soon. THE JUNGLE BOOK will be the latest live action adaptation of a classic Disney animated film, this time blending CGI and live actors in a 3D extravaganza. Favreau is directing from a screenplay by Justin Marks.
Favreau has dabbled in family films before having directed ELF with Will Ferrell and the underrated ZATHURA. That film featured a ton of special effects blended with live action and should serve the director well as will his IRON MAN experience. There is no word on whether THE JUNGLE BOOK will follow the same story structure as the animated film, whether there will be any musical numbers, or even if it will be a darker film in tone.
THE JUNGLE BOOK will hit theaters on October 9, 2015.