| Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Andy Serkis |
| Screenplay by | Callie Kloves |
| Based on | All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Michael Seresin |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Nitin Sawhney |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (also known and stylized on screen simply as Mowgli) is a 2018 adventure drama film directed by Andy Serkis with a screenplay by Callie Kloves, based on stories collected in All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling. The film stars Rohan Chand, Matthew Rhys, and Freida Pinto, along with voice and motion-capture performances from Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, and Serkis. In the film, an orphaned human boy who was raised by wolves, sets out on a journey to find a human village while evading Shere Khan.
Talks of a new Jungle Book film from Warner Bros. Pictures began in 2012 and various directors, including Steve Kloves, Ron Howard, and Alejandro González Iñárritu, were approached before Serkis was confirmed in March 2014. Much of the cast signed on that August and principal photography began in March 2015. Filming took place in South Africa and at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England.
Originally scheduled to be released in October 2016 by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film was delayed numerous times to work on the visual effects and to create space between itself and the April 2016 release of Walt Disney Pictures's live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book. In July 2018, Warner Bros. Pictures sold the rights for the film to Netflix. The film was released in select theaters on 29 November, followed by its subsequent digital Netflix release on 7 December of the same year. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cast, visual effects, and Serkis's direction, but many compared it unfavorably to the Disney film and criticized the uneven tone, calling it a "messy—if ambitious—misfire".[2]
- ^ McNary, Dave (1 August 2014). "Andy Serkis' 'Jungle Book: Origins' Set for October 2016, A Year After Disney's 'Jungle Book'". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
- ^ Fujitani, Ryan (29 November 2018). "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle Is Ambitious but Uneven". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2018.