Andy Serkis says ‘Jungle Book Origins’ is more ‘savage’ ‘no songs’ ‘not meant for families’
Andy Serkis teased his big screen adaptation of The Jungle Book during the promotion of the climax of the Caesar centric Planet of the Apes series: War for the Planet of the Apes. Serkis describes a film, titled Jungle Book: Origins, significantly different than the Disney film(s).
Andy Serkis as Caesar filming “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
“We were neck and neck for some time. And the fact of the matter is we probably could’ve come out in cinemas closer together. But the decision was ‘why do that?’ I saw their film, and it’s great, but ours is a completely different take,” the famous LOTR star explained.
“Ours is much more savage. There are no songs, and it’s not meant for young families.”
Serkis, 53, will direct the Warner Bros motion capture adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 book. This project has been delayed from 2016, separating itself from the Disney live-action film, and will now arrive in next fall.
In Jungle Book: Origins Christian Bale plays the black panther Bagheera, Cate Blanchett voices the anaconda Kaa and Benedict Cumberbatch is the villainous Shere Khan, while Mowgli will be played by Rohan Chand. Also starring is Matthew Rhys, Tom Hollander, and Naomie Harris will Serkis set to voice the role of Baloo.
Serkis has been vocal about Cumberbatch’s Shere Khan: “It’s amazing, Benedict’s phenomenal. He’s really scary. It’s a grounded, full-of-rage, brilliant performance. What’s brilliant about his performance is he’s not just a black-and-white villain,” Serkis told mirror.co.uk.
“Bizarrely, you actually feel his point of view. It’s quite a nuanced performance. You’ll see him in a new light. The Sherlock fans will be surprised, definitely,” he added.
“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.”
Jungle Book: Origins arrives in theaters on October 19, 2018.
