Andy Serkis has been speaking out about his upcoming directorial effort Mowgli, a new version of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, which just secured a PG-13 rating by the MPAA Stateside.
It sounds like we’re in for a much darker version than the animated Disney fare, and its live-action remake from a couple of years back.
Speaking to The List, Serkis, who directs as well as plays the character of Baloo the bear, explained why they opted for a darker tone to proceedings.
“It’s quite fun being the villain, actually. Especially when finding ways to make the villain appealing in some ways and so, I mean, look, it’s all about the character. But you’ll see me being Baloo. He is quite nice. He is actually quite tough in this one. A dark Baloo. Mowgli that’s the one I’ve been directing which is coming out later this year.”
Here’s the official synopsis for the movie, which will arrive in cinemas this coming October.
Human child Mowgli is 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, but the fearsome tiger Shere Khan doesn’t take a liking to him. But there may be greater dangers lurking in the jungle, as Mowgli comes face to face with his human origins.
Matthew Rhys, Freida Pinto, Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hollander, and Cate Blanchett are amongst the cast of the movie, while newcomer Rohan Chand will play the title character of Mowgli.
Serkis can currently be seen in Marvel’s Black Panther.
Mowgli releases on October 19, 2018.
