Back in December, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu entered talks to direct Warner’s planned live-action take on The Jungle Book. They couldn’t come to terms though, largely due to scheduling, but it seems the studio may have found a replacement, as THR reports that Ron Howard is now in talks for the film.
Callie Kloves, the daughter of Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves, wrote the script, based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic 1894 story. Kipling’s tales are set in India, centring on a young boy named Mowgli, who has been raised by wolves in the jungle. He befriends a bear named Baloo and a black panther named Bagheera, while battling the nefarious tiger, Shere Khan.
It isn’t known when production will begin, but it’s believed Warner Bros. wants to get it moving as quickly as possible, as it’s up against a rival adaptation from Disney, which Jon Favreau is directing from a screenplay by Justin Marks.