After fairly successfully purging the experience and aftermath of Cowboys & Aliens and Iron Man 2 out of his system with the independent drama Chef, Jon Favreau is now back in the studio director’s chair for yet another Disney reboot of a beloved property. This time around is The Jungle Book — not to be confused with Andy Serkis‘ darker, 2017-bound The Jungle Book: Origins for WB — and today brings the first trailer.
While newcomer Neel Sethi lead as Mowgli, the film has quite an illustrious voice cast, including Idris Elba (Shere Khan), Lupita Nyong’o (Raksha), Bill Murray (Baloo), Scarlett Johanson (Kaa), Ben Kingsley (Bagheera) and Christopher Walken (King Louie). The project is said to “seamlessly blend live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments,” which can be glimpsed at in the first trailer, seen below, along with the poster.
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 freespirited 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. The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela. “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world. The wild adventure swings into theaters in 3D on April 15, 2016.
The Jungle Book opens on April 15th, 2016.