Watch the new trailer for Mowgli starring
Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Freida Pinto. Only in
theaters October 19.
Motion capture and live action are blended for “Mowgli,” a new, big-screen, 3D
adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic The Jungle Book. The film features an
impressive roster of stars under the direction of Andy Serkis.
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.
The actors performing the roles of the story’s central animal characters are:
Oscar winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter,” the “Dark Knight” Trilogy) as the
cunning panther, Bagheera; Oscar winner Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine,” “The Aviator”)
as the sinister snake, Kaa; Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation
Game,” “Avengers: Infinity War”) as the fearsome tiger, Shere Khan; Oscar
nominee Naomie Harris (“Moonlight,” “Skyfall”) as Nisha, the female wolf, who
adopts the baby Mowgli as one of her cubs; and Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the
Apes” trilogy, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”) as the wise bear, Baloo. On the
human side, Matthew Rhys (“The Post”) is Lockwood; Freida Pinto (“Knight of
Cups”) is Messua; and young actor Rohan Chand (“The Hundred-Foot Journey,” “Bad
Words”) will play Mowgli, the boy raised by wolves.
Rounding out the cast are Peter Mullan (“Tommy’s Honour”), as the leader of the
wolf pack, Akela; Jack Reynor (“Transformers: Age of Extinction”), as Mowgli’s
brother Wolf; Eddie Marsan (TV’s “Ray Donovan”), as Nisha’s mate, Vihaan; and
Tom Hollander (“Breathe”) as the scavenging hyena, Tabaqui.
“Mowgli” is produced by Steve Kloves (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find
Them”), Jonathan Cavendish (“Breathe,” performance capture producer on
“Godzilla”), and David Barron (the “Harry Potter” films), with Nikki Penny
serving as executive producer. The screenplay is by Kloves’ daughter, Callie
Kloves.