"Witness the darkest telling of the beloved masterpiece." This is Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. This adventure drama film directed by Andy Serkis, adapted by Callie Kloves, and based on stories collected in All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling. The film centres on an orphaned boy raised by animals in the jungle, who seizes his destiny while confronting a dangerous enemy - and his own human origins.
In April 2012, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that it was developing the film with Steve Kloves in talks to write, direct, and produce it. However, in December 2013, Alejandro González Iñárritu would direct the film instead with Kloves producing and pen the script with his daughter Callie. However, in January 2014, Iñárritu left the project due to scheduling conflicts with Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015). In February, it was reported that Ron Howard was in talks to direct, with Brian Grazer to produce. However, in March, it was announced that Serkis would direct and produce the film with collaborator Jonathan Cavendish of The Imaginarium, and Serkis would also perform the role of Baloo. The film, originally titled Jungle Book: Origins, was set for an October 2016 release date. Serkis claimed the film to be his personal passion project when he said: "After creating Caesar and Gollum, this is what I was most drawn to." By early March 2015, Rohan Chand, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, Matthew Rhys, and Freida Pinto rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in early October 2018. Filming took place in South Africa and at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England. In December 2015, Warner Bros. shifted the release date to October 2017, allowing more time for further work on the visual effects. However, in April 2016, just before the wide release of Disney's The Jungle Book, the film's release date was moved to 19 October 2018. In October 2017, Andy Serkis revealed the working title of the film to be Mowgli: Tales from the Jungle Book. However, in December, the official title was changed to Mowgli. Serkis stated that the film would be "darker" and more "serious" in tone than previous Jungle Book adaptations, thus closer to that of Kipling's original works. In July 2018, it was announced that Netflix had purchased the worldwide distribution rights of the film from Warner Bros., with a 2019 release date. In early November 2018, a new title, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, was revealed with a new trailer, as well as a limited theatrical release on 29 November 2018, and its subsequent streaming release on 7 December 2018.
The film stars Chand, Bale, Blanchett, Cumberbatch, Harris, Rhys, Pinto, and Serkis. The film was bolstered thanks to stellar cast who brought exceptionally beautiful portrayals of Kipling's beloved characters.
As gritty to behold as it is engrossing to watch, the film is one of those rare adaptations that actually honours its source material amongst its predecessors - all while setting a new standard for CGI.
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