Andy Serkis says ‘Jungle Book Origins’ is a ‘darker take’ than Disney film
Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book is still scoring big the box office and the Warner Bros. adaptation, Jungle Book Origins, has been pushed back a bit. Now director Andy Serkis speaks out during a talk with Vulture, promising a darker film than the Disney movie.
“Ours is for a slightly older audience…It’s a PG-13, more a kind of Apes movie, a slightly darker take, closer to Rudyard Kipling’s.” Serkis said to Vulture.
Serkis says that current films are too cautious when it comes to children. “Which is wrong,” said Serkis. “It’s great to scare kids in a safe environment because it’s an important part of development, and we all loved to be scared as kids, so we shouldn’t overly protect them.”
Warner had brought on Alfonso Cuaron to help develop the picture, working in an undisclosed consultation role.
“Kids are so sophisticated,” Serkis continued, “and that is why our Jungle Book is quite dark. … It’s a story of an outsider, someone who is trying to accept the laws and customs of a particular way of living and then has to adapt to another culture, a human culture, which of course he should be able to adapt to, because this is what he is. So it’s about two different species and their laws and customs, and neither are entirely right.”
The new film will have an outstanding voice cast that includes Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew Rhys, Tom Hollander, and Naomie Harris. Serkis is also set to voice the role of Baloo.
Jungle Book Origins has had been bumped back a year to October 19, 2018.
Scanned image of the cover of the first edition of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (1865-18th January 1936), illustrated by John Lockwood Kipling (1837-1911)
