Actor Idris Elba has been cast as Shere Khan in Disney's upcoming The Jungle Book...
Actor Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, Prometheus) has been cast to play the villain for Disney's The Jungle Book.
Deadline is reporting that Elba will play the role of Shere Khan, the villainous bengal tiger for the life-action/VFX hybrid film. Khan will stalk young Mowgli after deciding to kill him before he becomes too much of a threat.
The actor was most recently seen in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom as late South African leader Nelson Mandela, and will soon be seen in Beasts of No Nation, a drama based on a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an African country.
Elba is the first actor to be attached to The Jungle Book, and news of his casting is sure to help bring in other high-end talent.
The VFX will be overseen by Oscar-winner Rob Legato, the man behind VFX for such films as Avatar, Hugo, and The Titanic. Disney's The Jungle Book movie update will be directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man).
The description of Elba's role as the classic bengal tiger alone makes the movie feel like it might take a more serious tone than what we've seen in the past instead of the more musical route the classic animated film took. The only question is just how dark Disney is looking to go.
Warner Bros. is also looking to adapt The Jungle Book, but hit a speed bump when director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu bowed out of the project. Now, Ron Howard is rumored to be onboard.
Disney's The Jungle Book is currently scheduled to be released on October 9, 2015.
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