‘Jungle Book: Origins’ has been retitled ‘Mowgli’.
The forthcoming film’s name has officially been changed to that of the fictional protagonist from Rudyard Kipling’s collection of stories.
Andy Serkis’ hotly-anticipated movie initially featured the name ‘Origins’ to make it different to ‘The Jungle Book’, a 2016 adaptation directed by Jon Favreau.
Warner Bros. have released a new synopsis of ‘Mowgli’, which will drop in October 2018.
It states: "Blending live action and performance capture, the story follows the upbringing of the human child Mowgli (Rohan Chand) raised by a wolf pack in the jungles of India.
"As he learns the often-harsh rules of the jungle, under the tutelage of a bear named Baloo (Andy Serkis) and a panther named Bagheera (Christian Bale), Mowgli becomes accepted by the animals of the jungle as one of their own.
"All but one: the fearsome tiger Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). But there may be greater dangers lurking in the jungle, as Mowgli comes face to face with his human origins.
"The other story’s central animal characters are: Kaa, the snake (Cate Blanchett); the leader of the wolf pack, Akela (Peter Mullan); the scavenging hyena, Tabaqui (Tom Hollander); Nisha, the female wolf (Naomie Harris), who adopts the baby Mowgli as one of her cubs; Nisha’s mate, Vihaan (Eddie Marsan); and Mowgli’s Brother Wolf (Jack Reynor). (sic)"
As well as lending his vocal talents to the character of Baloo in the film, Serkis will also direct and co-produce the project.
The upcoming motion picture is expected to have a slightly darker tone than Favreau’s 2016 film, which saw Neel Sethi play Mowgli, with Bill Murray voicing Baloo and Sir Ben Kingsley as Bagheera.
Jungle Book Origins renamed Mowgli
