Filming is underway on Andy Serkis' adaptation of The Jungle Book.: Origins.
Andy Serkis
Serkis is set to make his feature film directorial debut with the adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling novel, which will be a mix of live action performances and motion capture work to bring this iconic story to life.
The cameras have started rolling on the project but we will not see the movie hit the big screen until 2017.
This may be Serkis' directorial debut, but this has not stopped him from bringing together a terrific cast, as Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, and Eddie Marsan are just some of the great names that are set to star.
Cumberbatch is on board as villain Shere Khan, while Bale and Blanchett will play Bagheera and Kaa. As well as being in the director's chair, Serkis is also on the cast list and will bring the character of Baloo to life.
The movie will also introduce us to the acting talents of Rohan Chand, who has been cast as Mowgli. Chand is no stranger to acting with roles in the Hundred Foot Journey, and Lone Survivor under his belt, but this will be the biggest role of his career to date.
This is the second of two Jungle Book movies that are going to hit the big screen in the next couple of years, as Jon Favreau is also working on his version of the tale. The movie will be released next year, and sees Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Lupita Nyong'o and Idris Elba all on board.
As for Serkis, we are going to be seeing plenty of his on the big screen over the next year with roles in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens - which are set to be two of the biggest movies of 2015.
Serkis has been cast as Ulysses Klaw in Age of Ultron, and this will be the first time that we have seen the character in a Marvel film. We are expecting to see Serkis reprise that role in the stand-alone Black Panther movie.
The Jungle Book: Origins is scheduled to hit the big screen in the U.S. in October 2017 - a UK release date for the film is yet to be announced.
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