Walt Disney Pictures’ upcoming take on The Jungle Book appears set to add the voices of two more stars. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that director Jon Favreau is targeting both Scarlett Johansson and Lupita Nyong’o for his Rudyard Kipling adaptation.
The original book was published in 1894 and includes, among a number of other animal-themed stories, the classic tales of an Indian boy named Mowgli, who is raised by wolves and lives among the other animals in the jungle.
Disney previously released an animated version of the film in 1967 and another live-action film in 1994. The latest take features a screenplay by Justin Marks.
Johansson, who worked with Favreau on both Iron Man 2 and the upcoming Chef, would voice Kaa, the python, with Nyong’o providing the voice of Mowgli’s adopted wolf mother, Rakcha. They join Idris Elba, who is voicing Shere Khan.
With Kipling’s book well into the public domain, Warner Bros. has been developing their own live action version of the book with Harry Potter scribe Steve Kloves providing the screenplay and Andy Serkis directing.
The Jungle Book is set for release on October 9, 2015.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images / FayesVision / WENN.com)
