Two films with identical subject matter going head to head isn’t news. It’s happened before with Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror in 2012, Infamous and Capote in 2005, Deep Impact and Armageddon in 1998 and Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down in 2013. It always seems to end with a defined winner and loser. Rudyard Kipling’s classic fantasy novel The Jungle Book was previously best known for its 1967 animated adaptation but both Disney and Warner Bros have simultaneously decided it’s about time for another iteration. Disney had bounced into the lead in development quickly hiring Iron Man’s Jon Favreau as director and swiftly assembled an exciting cast of Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Giancarlo Esposito and Christopher Walken; Warners moved on from esteemed director Ron Howard (Rush) to allow The Lord of the Rings/Dawn of the Planet of the Apes star Andy Serkis (second unit director on The Hobbit films) to cast a darker web on the story titled Jungle Book: Origins. Favreau is well liked but Origins was the far favoured of the two. It held back till 2016 and has now unveiled its incredible principal cast.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomi Harris, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Rohand Chand, Tom Hollander, Eddie Marsan and Peter Mullan are all confirmed for various roles while Serkis himself will hop in front of the camera. Cumberbatch, famed as lead star of TV’s Sherlock as well as supporting roles in War Horse and Star Trek Into Darkness, will play the villainous tiger Shere Khan – (Into Darkness spoiler in next sentence) not the first Khan he’s played. Oscar winning Brit Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, American Hustle, American Psycho The Fighter, The Machinist) is the reluctant hero, and panther, Bagheera, teaming with Serkis for a second time after The Prestige. Double Oscar winner Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth, The Aviator, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) will portray the hypnotic python Kaa as well as reuniting with The Lord of the Rings co-star Andy Serkis (anyone sensing a theme?).
A trio of greatly underated British thesps have been cast: Peter Mullan (Trainspotting, Tyrannosaur) will play the leader of the Wolfpack (not that one) Akela, Eddie Marsan (The Illusionist, Sherlock Holmes) is fellow wolf Vihaan and Tom Hollander (About Time, In the Loop, Pirates of the Caribbean) will play Shere Khan’s jackal mercenary Tabaqui. Naomi Harris (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Skyfall) will play Vihaan’s mate Nisha. The only newcomer is American-born and Asian-descended Rohand Chand as Mowgli. Chand has previously made small appearances in Lone Survivor and The Hundred-Foot Journey but may be best known for playing Adam Sandler’s adopted son in critical disaster Jack and Jill. In my books, the two projects were neck and neck until this point. Origins is not only more promising but may well be an Oscar contender.
Finally today we’re greatly pleased to reveal the very first official still from Marvel’s sci-fi thriller Ant-Man. The has survived a great amount of controversy following the departure of director Edgar Wright, composer Steven Price and three lead stars to at last make it to production in San Francisco. Peyton Reed (Yes Man) directs while Paul Rudd (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), Corey Stoll (House of Cards), Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Michael Pena (End of Watch), Judy Greer (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Michael Douglas (Wall Street, The Game) star.
Ant-Man – July 17th 2015
Jungle Book: Origins – October 21st 2016
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