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Five years ago, fans of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book were hit with an unexpected bounty. Disney announced that it was tackling a live-action/C.G.I. adaptation of the classic story, directed by Jon Favreau. Then, a competitor entered the ring: Warner Bros. announced that Andy Serkis would also direct and star in a live-action/C.G.I. adaptation of the tale. Disney went ahead with its version, which hit theaters in 2016 and grossed almost $1 billion worldwide, while Serkis’s version lay dormant, resting quietly in the background and waiting for the right moment to strike. That moment, it seems, is now. Netflix, which is releasing the film, has unveiled a new trailer for the movie, which—unlike the Disney version—will deal more directly with Mowgli’s difficulty reconciling his human nature and his animal upbringing.
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle stars newcomer Rohan Chand in the titular role, with Serkis playing his beloved bear pal, Baloo. The trailer hits all the notes of the classic story: Mowgli gets left behind as a baby and is raised by the various animals in the jungle, particularly the wolves (Naomie Harris voices Nisha, Mowgli’s adoptive wolf mom). But as he grows up, he feels torn between living in the jungle and living in the village among people, eventually dashing off and getting taken in by a woman named Messua (Freida Pinto). However, he quickly learns how much both worlds are at odds, with the jungle in danger of being encroached upon by advancing human life.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by Matthew Rhys (as John Lockwood, a villainous human), Cate Blanchett (Kaa the python), Tom Hollander (Tabaqui the hyena), Christian Bale (Bagheera the panther), and Benedict Cumberbatch (Shere Khan the tiger).
The film will hit Netflix and select theaters on December 7, signaling that the streaming platform is pinning some awards-season dreams on Serkis’s creation. The streamer only shows a handful of films in theaters, putting Mowgli in a group this year that includes Alfonso Cuarón’s latest best-picture contender, Roma, Paul Greengrass’s 22 July, and Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. These limited, highly targeted theatrical runs have irritated bigger theater chains like AMC and Regal, but signal a long-awaited shift in Netflix’s approach to awards campaigning. While Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle has not yet been designated as a best-picture contender, its visuals certainly seem primed for recognition in the technical awards categories. Plus, with that cast and Serkis’s beloved reputation in the industry, nothing should be ruled out just yet.
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