A new live action version is coming to theaters in 2016 and will be directed by Jon Favreau
The Jungle Book has been told in a number of ways in film. The version people are most familiar with is the animated movie done by Disney many years ago. But there was also a live action version that starred Jason Lee and looked as Mowgli grown up as a man. This version was alright but didn’t do that well and since then this book has not been remade. But that is all going to change in 2016. A new version is coming soon that is going to be live action, dark and will finally tell this story the way it was always meant to be told. Here is what we know about this film.
The original version of this story told by Disney tells the story of Mowgli who is a young orphan boy who is taken in by a family of wolves. As he grows up he leaves this family and meets Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther who want to take him back to the man village. He has to get there soon before a Bengal tiger named Shere Khan finds him. Why does Shere Khan want to find Mowgli so badly? Will Baloo and Bagheera get him to the village in time? And how will this new version differ from the other ones?
This version appears to follow the animated version a bit but there a number of differences. The sets are going to be huge and really show every part of the jungle as if they audience was there with the whole cast. The animals will look very real and the film is sure to focus more on epic action and some of the more dangerous things the jungle has to offer.
The cast will have newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli, Bill Murray will voice Baloo, Ben Kingsley lends his voice to Bagheera, Idris Elba will voice Shere Khan and Scarlett Johannson will bring to life the giant snake Kaa. I would have thought her as a bad choice but hearing her in this trailer changed my mind. With the direction Favreau is taking Kaa there is no one better to voice this character.
So far we didn’t get to hear the rest of the cast but the way Bagheera, Shere Khan and Kaa look is amazing. We get a look at a giant orangutan arm who it is safe to guess is King Louie who is going to be voiced by Christopher Walken. I am intrigued by this choice and cannot wait to get to hear it soon. Giancarlo Esposito is going to voice Akela one of the wolves which is another good addition to the already talented cast. The whole cast is star studded and hopefully this will make for a really fun film. I cannot wait to hear Idris Elba as Shere Khan, I bet he nails every aspect of this villain and will make it one of the best portrayals to date.
When I heard they were doing a new live action version of this film I was not sure that was a good idea, let alone necessary. But after watching this teaser I am more interested with the idea. It doesn’t tell people everything about this film but gives them a good sample of what Favreau is going for in this remake. The Jungle Book is coming to theaters April 15, 2o16.
Check out the stunning trailer here:
The post The First Trailer for the new ‘Jungle Book’ is Here appeared first on The Good Men Project.