Disney has been on a roll lately with live-action adaptations of its classic animated movies, which began with 2010's Alice in Wonderland followed by the huge success of last year's Maleficent and this year's Cinderella. Now there's a flock of such projects in development at Disney, including Beauty and the Beast (starring Emma Watson, set for March 17, 2017), Dumbo, Mulan, Pinocchio and The Sword in the Stone.
Next up, however, is a fresh new version of The Jungle Book with Jon Favreau directing. He's a good bet since his credits include the comedy Elf, the superhero action heroics of Iron Man, and the warmhearted indie Chef. The latter title reminded everyone that director Favreau is quite capable of helping children -- in that case, young Emjay Anthony -- deliver good, natural performances. That's important because The Jungle Book revolves around newcomer Neel Sethi, who potrays Mowgli, an orphan boy raised in the wild by animals.
Mowgli may be surrounded in the jungle by CGI-animated animals, but those animals are voiced by an excellent cast of experienced actors, including Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Bill Murray as Baloo, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Christopher Walken as King Louie, Giancarlo Esposito as Akela, and Lupita Nyong'o as Raksha. (Oh, and Chef's Emjay Anthony returns, too!)
The Jungle Book hits theaters on April 15, 2016.
