Disney has unveiled the first trailer for “The Jungle Book,” director Jon Favreau’s live-action/CG remake of the 1967 animated classic, and it looks set to follow the trend of dark and gritty movies – even kiddie ones – that Hollywood has been witnessing recently.
Based on the stories of Rudyard Kipling, the film stars newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli, a man-cub raised by wolves who finds he’s no longer welcome in the jungle when the fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba) promises to eliminate what he views as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli sets out on a journey of self-discovery, guided by the stern panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley” and the free-spirited bear Baloo (Bill Murray).
The Jungle Book also stars Scarlett Johansson as the hypnotizing python Kaa, Christopher Walken as the smooth-talking orangutan King Louie, Lupita Nyong’o as the protective mother wolf Raksha and Giancarlo Esposito as the wolf pack’s alpha male Akela.
Set to debut on 15th April 2016, Disney’s The Jungle Book looks like it’s made to impress. It also wins the prize for first out of the gate, with Warner Bros. close on its heels. The studio’s Jungle Book: Origins, which has actor/motion capture expert Andy Serkis directing his own version with voice talent from Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch and Christian Bale, is in production now and will debut in 2017.
Read the official plot synopsis below:
Directed by Jon Favreau (“Chef,” “Iron Man,” “Elf”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat.
Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johannsson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.
