Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

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 this 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 remake 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".

Plot

In the jungles of India, the gigantic Indian python seer Kaa watches as Shere Khan, a sadistic Bengal tiger, breaks "jungle law" by killing a family of humans. The black panther Bagheera finds a surviving infant boy and takes him to Nisha and Vihaan's family of Indian wolves, but the child is spotted by Shere Khan's striped hyena lackey Tabaqui.

The "man-cub" is brought before the wolf council, where Bagheera strong-arms Baloo, a Himalayan brown bear, into serving as his fellow guardian. Shere Khan arrives to kill the child, but Akela, leader of the wolves, declares that the boy is under the pack's protection. Shere Khan warns that when Akela misses his prey, he will return to kill the boy.

The child, now known as Mowgli, is adopted by Nisha and raised with the wolves. Years pass, and Mowgli encounters Shere Khan, who has antagonized the nearby "man-village" by killing their cattle. Mowgli falls into a tiger trap set by the villagers, but is saved by Hathi, an Indian elephant missing half a tusk.

Bagheera reveals to Mowgli that he is human, but Mowgli is determined to complete "the Running" – the trial to earn full membership in the pack. Bagheera urges Mowgli to leave the jungle for the village, where he will be safe from Shere Khan; watching the village from afar, Mowgli learns of the existence of fire.

During the Running as Bagheera chases the young wolves to prove their skill, Mowgli uses his ability to climb and run upright to gain the lead. Desperate to keep him safe, Bagheera unfairly foils Mowgli. After stating to Mowgli that he let his guard down, an enraged Baloo confronts Bagheera for his actions. After running off, Mowgli is kidnapped by the Bandar-log tribe of monkeys and brought to Shere Khan. Baloo and Bagheera arrive to save him. They are overwhelmed by the monkeys and Mowgli is rescued by Kaa. Having failed the Running, an angry Mowgli rejects the friendship of the albino wolf cub Bhoot. He goes to visits Kaa who believes he can restore harmony to the jungle.

While hunting, the aging Akela fails to bring down a water buffalo, leading Shere Khan to remind the pack they must now challenge him for the role of leader. As the wolves fight, Mowgli steals a burning branch from the village and repels Shere Khan and the challengers, but shames Akela who regrettably advises him to leave. A feral Mowgli is captured by the villagers and John Lockwood, a British hunter. A visiting Bagheera tells Mowgli that he must stay with the villagers and gain their trust as he once did to escape captivity himself.

Mowgli comes to enjoy life in the village, cared for by the kindly Messua and learning hunting skills from Lockwood, who is tracking Shere Khan. Mowgli's wolf-sibling Gray Brother informs him that Shere Khan has driven away the wolves loyal to Akela and continues to kill cattle, endangering all the jungle's animals, but Mowgli refuses to help.

While the villagers celebrate Holi, Mowgli learns that it was Lockwood who shot off the elephant's tusk and discovers his hunting trophies, including the head of Bhoot. Returning the tusk to the elephant, Mowgli offers him the hunter in exchange for ridding the jungle of Shere Khan.

Mowgli meets with Baloo, Bagheera, and the wolf pack, who refuse to go against jungle law to help him defeat Shere Khan. Undeterred, he lures Shere Khan to the edge of the village where the tiger is surrounded by the elephant herd. Lockwood shoots at Shere Khan, but wounds Mowgli instead and Akela sacrifices himself to save the boy while Lockwood is killed by the charging elephant and Tabaqui flees.

The other animals come to Mowgli's aid, forcing Shere Khan to retreat and the dying Akela names Mowgli as his successor. With Messua and the village watching, Mowgli returns to the jungle and slays the mortally wounded Shere Khan. Kaa narrates that with Shere Khan and Lockwood gone, Mowgli has given the animals a voice and brought peace to the jungle.

Cast

• Rohan Chand as Mowgli, a plucky and kind boy who is raised by wolves.
• Matthew Rhys as John Lockwood, a colonial hunter who hunts for trophies and comes to hunt Shere Khan.
• Freida Pinto as Messua, an altruistic woman who takes in Mowgli.

Voice and motion-capture

• Christian Bale as Bagheera, a wise black panther who is Mowgli's protector and one of his teachers who was born in human captivity.
• Cate Blanchett as Kaa, an enormous Indian Python who is the jungle's seer, one of Mowgli's mentors, and the narrator of the film.
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan, a barbaric and sadistic Bengal tiger with a crippled front leg who is Mowgli's archenemy and the one who slew his biological parents.
• Naomie Harris as Nisha, an Indian wolf who is Mowgli's adopted mother.
• Andy Serkis as Baloo, a firm but fair Himalayan brown bear who is one of Mowgli's teachers and the teacher of the younger wolves.
• Peter Mullan as Akela, an elderly Indian wolf who is the chief of his pack.
• Jack Reynor as Gray Brother, an Indian wolf who is the oldest and most loyal of Mowgli's adopted brothers.
• Eddie Marsan as Vihaan, an Indian wolf who is Mowgli's adopted father.
• Tom Hollander as Tabaqui, a deranged striped hyena who is Shere Khan's follower.
• Louis Ashbourne Serkis as Bhoot, an albino Indian wolf cub in Akela's pack and Mowgli's friend.

Production

A number of writers, directors, and producers were connected with the film during its development. By April 2012, Warner Bros. Pictures was developing the film with Steve Kloves in talks to write, direct, and produce it. By December 2013 Kloves was attached to produce and Alejandro González Iñárritu was in talks to direct, from a screenplay by Kloves's daughter Callie. Iñárritu left the project in the following month due to scheduling conflicts with Birdman and The Revenant. By February 2014, Ron Howard was in talks to direct, with Brian Grazer as producer through their Imagine Entertainment company. The next month Andy Serkis was hired to direct and produce the film with collaborator Jonathan Cavendish of The Imaginarium, and Serkis was also cast in the role of Baloo. Production designer Gary Freeman, editor Mark Sanger, and costume designer Alexandra Byrne were hired.

In August 2014, Benedict Cumberbatch joined the film to voice the villain role of Shere Khan. Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, Tom Hollander, Eddie Marsan, Peter Mullan, and Rohan Chand were announced during that month. Jack Reynor was added to the cast in March 2015 as Mowgli's Brother Wolf, followed by Matthew Rhys in the role of John Lockwood in April. Freida Pinto was cast as Mowgli's adoptive mother.

Principal photography began on 9 March 2015. It was filmed in Durban, South Africa and at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England.

Music

Release

The film, originally titled Jungle Book: Origins, was initially set for an October 2016 release by Warner Bros. Warner Bros. later shifted the date to October 2017, allowing more time for further work on the visual effects. 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. The working title of the film was Mowgli: Tales from the Jungle Book, which was later changed to Mowgli. Serkis stated that the film is "darker" and more "serious" in tone than previous Jungle Book adaptations, thus closer to that of Kipling's original works. The first trailer and a behind-the-scenes featurette premiered on 21 May 2018.