Let it be clear that the “bear necessities” of Warner Bros. upcoming “Mowgli” are much darker than you’re probably used to. Director and actor Andy Serkis’ version sticks closer to Rudyard Kipling’s original moodier story. At CinemaCon, he mentioned that his take on the classic focuses on “the journey of Mowgli of being an outsider…” and that “through the mentorship of all the different creatures that surround him, he eventually finds a way to go from this orphaned child to becoming a leader of the jungle.”
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That idea is clearly evident in the first trailer and synopsis.
The story follows the upbringing of the human child Mowgli raised by a pack of wolves in the jungles of India. As he learns the often-harsh rules of the jungle, under the tutelage of a bear named Baloo and a panther named Bagheera, Mowgli becomes accepted by the animals of the jungle as one of their own, except by one; the fearsome tiger Shere Khan. But there may be greater dangers lurking in the jungle, as Mowgli comes face to face with his human origins.
“Mowgli” has been in the works for several years and has had just as many directors attached to the project. Back in December 2013, Alejandro González Iñárritu was in talks to direct, then came Ron Howard a few months later in February 2014. Finally, it landed in the more than capable directorial hands of Serkis, with “Gravity” director Alfonso Cuaron serving as an unofficial advisor.
Serkis is a master of bringing humanity to mo-cap performances and can certainly be trusted to bring that vision to his cast. The live-action cast includes Freida Pinto, Matthew Rhys, and relative newcomer Rohan Chand. The film will also feature several motional capture performances from Serkis, Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander, Peter Mullan, Naomie Harris, Eddie Marsan, and Jack Reynor.
“Mowgli” will be released later this year on October 19.
Here’s the first official trailer, as well as a behind-the-scenes featurette where Serkis explains what separates his film from the recent Disney remake: