Movies: Jungle Book (2018) (Andy Serkis, Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch) (Warner Bros.)

[JA]

Not only are Disney and Warner Bros. at war with comic book film universes, but they will now be engaged in a battle of Jungle Book films.

After Disney's wildly-successful, and critically-acclaimed The Jungle Book (2016), the company plans to release a sequel some time between 2018 and 2019, perhaps based on some of original author Rudyard Kipling's other Mowgli-related works, or based on their own, brand new material. Warner Bros., however, also plans to release a film in 2018 based on The Jungle Book, directed by Andy Serkis -- that film is simply titled Jungle Book and is scheduled for release on October 19, 2018.

What many people do not know is that Warner Bros. had originally announced in April 2012 that they would be developing a film based on The Jungle Book, while Disney made its announcement a year later in July 2013.

Warner Bros.' version stalled, however, with directors Steve Kloves (Harry Potter films screenwriter), Alejandro Iñárritu and Ron Howard all attached at various points to the project. Iñárritu left due to scheduling conflicts with Birdman and The Revenant.

The film finally found its director and star, Andy Serkis. Serkis will portray Baloo in the film, while Christian Bale will play Bagheera, and Benedict Cumberbatch will play Shere Khan. These roles were played by Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, and Idris Elba, respectively, in the 2016 Disney adaptation.

Disney's The Jungle Book sequel will likely be released in 2018 or 2019. Warner Bros.' film, Jungle Book, is scheduled for an October 19, 2018 release.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warner-bros-pushes-jungle-book-881353

Warner Bros. Pushes 'Jungle Book' to 2018, 'Wonder Woman' Gets New Date
April 06, 2016 8:55am PT by Rebecca Ford

...

Jungle Book, which will be directed by Andy Serkis, is moving back an entire year, from Oct. 6, 2017, to Oct. 19, 2018.

Warner Bros.' Jungle Book movie is one of two competing films based on Rudyard Kipling's book of the same name. Disney's version, directed by Jon Favreau, comes out on April 15 in the U.S.

"I've got to say that personally I'm absolutely thrilled that Warner Bros. has changed the delivery date of our movie," Serkis wrote Wednesday. "The ambition for this project is huge. What we are attempting is an unprecedented level of psychological and emotional nuance in morphing the phenomenal performances of our cast into the facial expressions of our animals."

He also added: "So, every minute more that we have to evolve the technological pipeline will make all the difference. … The evidence is there already and it's off the chain exciting, so hang on in there. …This is truly next-generation storytelling, and it will be the real deal!"

...

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/disney-claims-dates-for-several-new-movies-confirms-jungle-book-2-mary-poppins-sequel-1201760227/

Disney Claims Dates for Several New Movies; Confirms ‘Jungle Book 2,’ ‘Mary Poppins’ Sequel
Brent Lang
Senior Film and Media Reporter
April 25, 2016 | 02:13PM PT

...

The “Jungle Book” and “Mary Poppins” sequels are farther along in their development process and will likely be among the films snagging those dates. This kind of flag planting is becoming increasingly common place. As studios plunge deeper into the tentpole business, they want to establish themselves in prime release dates years in advance.

See below for dates:

UNTITLED DISNEY FAIRY TALE (Live Action) previously dated on 12/22/17 moves up to 7/28/17
UNTITLED DISNEY FAIRY TALE (Live Action) now dated on 4/6/18
UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 8/3/18
UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 12/25/18
UNTITLED DISNEY FAIRY TALE (Live Action) now dated on 12/20/19

Expect two Jungle Book films in 2018. Disney would be smart to place The Jungle Book 2 ahead of Warner Bros.' Jungle Book on the 2018 calendar.

Click to read more...

 

[HanSolo]

Pass. They got it right with this year's Jungle Book. I don't need another one.

 

[wedge]

After that, they wonder why their movies flop...

 

[x Tame Impala]

Jungle Book 2: Mowgli's Revenge

 

[Power Man]

Jungle Book 2 : Age of Harambe

 

[The Nemesis]

In this exciting reimagining of the classic tale, Baloo will be captured and imprisoned in a cave, forced to escape by finding a magical hammer with lightning powers and using it to fashion himself a technological suit of armor that is powered by the ancient stone lodged in his chest as part of a super soldier experiment. However, upon returning to jungle society, he is forced to confront the morality of his past decisions, the power play engineered by his former mentor turned mortal enemy, and the question of whether or not the magical-technological devices that keep him alive now are making him more machine than bear.

Jungle Book 2: Electric Baloogaloo

Featuring Samuel L Jackson as the voice of Mowgli

 

[HanSolo]

I'm already displeased with the idea of doing a sequel to a Jungle Book movie that really shouldn't be tarnished by, nor does it even need a part 2.

Favreau and Disney nailed it by finally making a live action remake that is arguably better than the original. It just feels cheap to introduce a new story now.

But even worse is having another studio do their own imagining of the story.

 

[JA]

I'm already displeased with the idea of doing a sequel to a Jungle Book movie that really shouldn't be tarnished by, nor does it even need a part 2.

Favreau and Disney nailed it by finally making a live action remake that is arguably better than the original. It just feels cheap to introduce a new story now.

But even worse is having another studio do their own imagining of the story.

Disney has two Rudyard Kipling books to work with: The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book. Both books feature various episodic tales about Mowgli. All of the tales were published in chronological order in 1933 in an anthology called All the Mowgli Stories, with the extra addition of "In The Rukh," a story about Mowgli as an adult. The films have barely scratched the surface of what is featured in those books, so there is a lot of source material to work with still.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_Mowgli_Stories

Half of Kipling's stories revolve around Mowgli's relationship with the human village and the contempt he has for humanity. During his teenaged years, he is adopted by the richest family in the village, and learns about the lifestyle of the villagers, their lack of loyalty, as well as their ruthlessness towards one another when material wealth is involved. After he and his adopted parents are put in danger, he ultimately rejects the villagers; it is a story of Mowgli trying to reconcile his humanity with his upbringing. After the jungle animals rescue his parents, he must decide whether to stay with them or return to the jungle.

Eventually, during the British Raj, Mowgli meets with an English forest ranger and becomes his employee, later marrying his daughter, having a son, and then returning to the wild. This story, "In The Rukh," was actually the first that Kipling ever wrote about Mowgli, which makes everything else a prequel.

 

[HanSolo]

I honestly didn't know there was a second Jungle Book...

 

[Sharpshooter]

Disney has two Rudyard Kipling books to work with: The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book. Both books feature various episodic tales about Mowgli. All of the tales were published in chronological order in 1933 in an anthology called All the Mowgli Stories, with the extra addition of "In The Rukh," a story about Mowgli as an adult. The films have barely scratched the surface of what is featured in those books, so there is a lot of source material to work with still.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_Mowgli_Stories

Half of Kipling's stories revolve around Mowgli's relationship with the human village and the contempt he has for humanity. During his teenaged years, he is adopted by the richest family in the village, and learns about the lifestyle of the villagers, their lack of loyalty, as well as their ruthlessness towards one another when material wealth is involved. After he and his adopted parents are put in danger, he ultimately rejects the villagers; it is a story of Mowgli trying to reconcile his humanity with his upbringing. After the jungle animals rescue his parents, he must decide whether to stay with them or return to the jungle.

Eventually, during the British Raj, Mowgli meets with an English forest ranger and becomes his employee, later marrying his daughter, having a son, and then returning to the wild. This story, "In The Rukh," was actually the first that Kipling ever wrote about Mowgli, which makes everything else a prequel.

Now that would be a movie adaptation worth seeing.

 

[Acadmus]

Quite a bit of Disney's live action Jungle Book fell flat with me (though Christopher Walken as King Louie kinda worked). Not that I was crazy to see it in the first place, and not that I'm all that eager to see a WB version, but I won't NOT see it if my daughter wants to go. There was plenty of room for improvement over the Disney version.

That Mary Poppins sequel though...right now P.L. Travers is viciously rolling over in her grave trying to get out of her coffin to go strangle Disney's entire executive office...

 

[x Tame Impala]

Now that would be a movie adaptation worth seeing.

If they didn't make it into a children's movie then I think it'd really interesting. A man abandoning his civilized life and going back to the wilderness would seem to have a lot of inherently adult themes that I don't think can be touched on too well in a kid's film.

 

[Sharpshooter]

If they didn't make it into a children's movie then I think it'd really interesting. A man abandoning his civilized life and going back to the wilderness would seem to have a lot of inherently adult themes that I don't think can be touched on too well in a kid's film.

There's a middle ground there for sure.

And the irony is that jungle life was the more civilised life.

There's plenty of adult and child friendly themes intertwined in just comparing the two 'lives'.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Jungle Book 2 : Age of Harambe

Savage

/thread

 

[Philly85*]

Yeah thats a W for that

 

[Emperoreddy]

It may never see the light of day.

Still Disney has been doing well with their live action adaptations lately.

Beauty and the Beast is next down the pipeline.

 

[sully1410]

Of course Benediction Cumberbatch voices Sheer Khan lol.

Why can't they just cut their losses and make Rikki Tikki Tavi. I would pay good money to see that ****.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

The live action adaptation from Disney blew away all of my purposefully tempered expectations and arguably, in my opinion, is just as good as the original animated version.

I don't have too many reservations with Warner Bros releasing their own version (though I think their cast isn't as compelling as Disney's) but I'm really hoping these studios don't turn this property into a franchise and release sequel after sequel in order to try and run the well dry.

 

[WTFetus]

It could be a good movie and Benedict Cumberbatch is a great choice for Shere Khan, but it's going to be tough to top Disney's Jungle Book. That movie was practically perfect in my opinion.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Honest Trailers got it right. Jungle Book 2 sets up Tailspin

 

[Voight]

Whatever happened to selling thew rights to one studio?

 

[Pilky01]

 

[missingmika]

I miss when it was The Jungle Book vs Jungle Book. Reminded me of the good days if Ghostbusters vs. The Real Ghostbusters.