Not long after the film made its Netflix debut, the streamer released a clip on Sunday, Dec. 16. The scene centers on Mowgli (Rohan Chand) in grave danger, and it opens in a dark, foreboding cave where the barely conscious boy-cub has been trapped by the tiger Shere Khan (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). Mowgli’s captor makes it clear he’s not playing games. Frankly, the scene is way more brutal than we expected it to be.
Watch the clip below — if you can handle the suspense.
“Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” is based on the classic stories by Rudyard Kipling. It has an all-star cast that also includes Freida Pinto plus voice and motion-capture acting by Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Andy Serkis, among others. The film is directed by Serkis from a script by Callie Kloves.
“Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle,” the new retelling of “The Jungle Book” from director Andy Serkis, will open in theaters before it begins streaming on Netflix.
The movie will get a limited theatrical release starting Nov. 29 in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and London. It will then will then be available on Netflix from Dec. 7. After that, it will have an expanded theatrical release in the U.S. and U.K.
“Mowgli” tells the story of a boy torn between two worlds, who has never truly belonged in either the wilds of the jungle or the civilized world of man. Now, he must must navigate the inherent dangers of each on a journey to discover where he truly belongs.
Serkis, who pioneered motion-capture acting as Gollum in “Lord of the Rings” and Caesar in “Planet of the Apes,” puts his experience to use in directing the motion-capture performances of a star-studded cast, including Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Freida Pinto, Matthew Rhys and Naomie Harris.
Netflix has previously adhered to a day-and-date policy, releasing feature films in theaters on the same day as the streaming premiere. But this year, the company has softened on that stance and is giving early theatrical releases to awards contenders like Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” and the Coen brothers’ “Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”
Warner Bros. had dated “Mowgli” for theatrical release on October 19 of this year. However the live-action/CGI “Jungle Book” movie will now stream sometime next year on Netflix.
This … feels like a burn.
Netflix picked up the worldwide rights to “Mowgli” in what was called the biggest acquisition of a finished film for the streamer to date.
The film comes with a star-studded voice cast — Christian Bale as panther Bagheera, Cate Blanchett as snake Kaa, Benedict Cumberbatch as the tiger Shere Khan, Naomie Harris as wolf Nisha, and Andy Serkis himself as Baloo; with Matthew Rhys, Freida Pinto, and young Rohan Chand in human roles.
However, Disney’s 2016 “The Jungle Book” was a big success, putting this Warner Bros. film in an awkward spot. As Deadline put it:
This Netflix move helps Andy Serkis and Warner Bros. “get out from under the inevitable stigma that would have haunted a full scale theatrical release of a film that would inevitably be compared to Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book,’ which grossed $966 million worldwide. At one point, there was a race between that film and ‘Mowgli’ — both based on Kipling’s public domain work — but it is never good to be runner up, especially when the other one became such a big hit.”
“Netflix has made a habit of acquiring films that perhaps studios preferred not to release theatrically. It paid Paramount more than $50 million for ‘The Cloverfield Paradox,’ which received dismal reviews but caused a splash when Netflix announced during the Super Bowl the film would be available for streaming after the game. Netflix also picked up Michael Pena’s sci-fi thriller ‘Extinction’ in February after Universal had removed it from the schedule without explanation months earlier.”
Smart move for WB to sell #Mowgli to Netflix following the success of Disney's version/financial risk of this take. WB is in a good spot with a better slate of #DCEU movies, the #FantasticBeasts franchise and the #Godzilla and #KingKong crossover looming. They didn't need this.
Andy Serkis said he made “Mowgli” with 3D effects he still hopes will be shown off in the theatrical component of Netflix’s release plan. There are no details yet on that release plan.
Motion-capture master Andy Serkis is tackling a familiar subject with his next project, “Mowgli,” an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling novel “The Jungle Book.” But as the actor-director explains, his film will be decidedly different from the more lighthearted versions that most moviegoers know.
The first trailer for the live-action/CGI hybrid is a visual feast, featuring impressive effects that bring the film’s animal cast to life. Those creatures are portrayed in painstaking detail thanks to motion-capture performances from some high-profile humans, including Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, and Serkis himself. And newcomer Rohan Chand is a standout as the titular mancub.
As viewers can no doubt tell from the trailer, “Mowgli” isn’t Disney’s “Jungle Book” (neither the 1967 animated version, nor the 2016 CGI/live-action remake), differentiating itself by adhering more closely to the original Kipling source material. As Serkis notes of his flick in an accompanying featurette, “There’s no singing or dancing by the animals, that’s for sure.”
Part of the director’s mission with “Mowgli” was to “shatter … preconceptions” about the story, Serkis said. Based on this first trailer, it looks like he’s well on his way to achieving that goal.
Andy Serkis directed this film — long in the works — which does not want to be confused with Disney’s “The Jungle Book.” Unless fans get so confused they decide to see this one thinking it’s the sequel to Jon Favreau’s 2016 blockbuster. Warner Bros. would probably be happy to take their money anyway!
According to Collider, the artist formerly known as “Jungle Book: Origins” will now be called “Mowgli.” Simple. Easy to remember.
The official synopsis follows suit:
“The story follows the upbringing of the human child Mowgli, raised by a wolf pack 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. All but 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” will blend live-action and CGI, featuring an impressive voice cast:
Christian Bale plays cunning panther, Bagheera; Cate Blanchett is the sinister snake, Kaa; Benedict Cumberbatch plays fearsome tiger Shere Khan; Naomie Harris is Nisha, the female wolf who adopts baby Mowgli as one of her cubs; mo-cap master Andy Serkis himself will play beloved bear Baloo; Peter Mullan as the leader of the wolf pack, Akela; Jack Reynor is Mowgli’s Brother Wolf; Eddie Marsan is Nisha’s mate, Vihaan; and Tom Hollander is the scavenging hyena, Tabaqui. On the human side, Collider added, Matthew Rhys will play Lockwood; Freida Pinto is Messua; and young actor Rohan Chand will play the title boy Mowgli.
“Mowgli” is currently scheduled for release on October 19, 2018.
Disney is riding high on its upcoming live-action take on “The Jungle Book,” so much so that it’s reportedly already working on a sequel to the flick.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Mouse House has tapped director Jon Favreau and writer Justin Marks to once again assume those roles on the follow-up, which will reportedly be based on other Mowgli-centric stories by author Rudyard Kipling, who penned the original “Jungle Book” tales in the late 1800s. “Disney plans to dig deep into the source material,” per THR.
While this isn’t exactly a new concept — a film getting a sequel order before it hits domestic theaters — it’s good news for the studio, which bet big on its latest trend of live-action remakes of its original animated films, including recent hits like “Cinderella” and “Alice in Wonderland.” “The Jungle Book” — inspired by Disney’s 1967 version of Kipling’s book — is already doing solid business overseas, where it’s opened to the tune of $31.7 million in several international markets (including $8.4 million in India, good for second place on the country’s all-time list of western movie openings).
It’s unclear if any or all of the starry “Jungle Book” voice cast (which includes Bill Murray, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, and Ben Kingsley) will return for the follow-up, but expect newcomer Neel Sethi, who plays Mowgli, to be front and center.
Motion-capture master 
Disney is riding high on its upcoming live-action take on “