With Warner Bros and Disney in a race to get their live action versions of The Jungle Book into cinema, the latter is attempting to steal a march on the former by adding Scarlett Johansson and Lupita Nyong’o to join Idris Elba voicing CGI animals in the movie, according to THR.
Based on Rudyard Kipling’s novel, the film follows Mowgli, a young boy who is raised in the jungle by wolves, while making friend with bear Baloo and black panther Bagheera.
Scarlett Johansson is in early talks to voice Kaa, a python who eats other animals after hypnotizing them. Lupita Nyong’o is in final talks to voice Rakcha, a mother wolf who takes Mowgli in.
Idris Elba will be man-eating tiger Shere Khan, who believes that when Mowgli becomes a man he’ll bring destruction to the forest.
Jon Favreau is directing from screenplay by Justin Marks. Warner’s version meanwhile has Andy Serkis attached to direct from a script by Steve Kloves.