Disney has reportedly tapped legendary Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley to voice Bagheera the panther in their upcoming live action/animated adaptation of The Jungle Book.
The new film, helmed by Iron Man director Jon Favreau, and written by Justin Marks, is based on the classic book by Rudyard Kipling, and inspired by the 1967 Disney animated movie of the same name. This adaptation is not to be confused with another Jungle Book in the works at Warner Bros.
As we all know, The Jungle Book tells the story of a young boy named Mowgli, who is raised by wolves in the jungle and is taken care of by Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther. Quite honestly, we think Kingsley will be perfect as Bagheera; his British accent and commanding tone is just what the character needs. Kingsley is known for his iconic role as Gandhi, and was most recently seen in Iron Man 3.
Disney is on a roll of rebooting favorite classics, with movies like Alice In Wonderland, Oz The Great and Powerful, Maleficent, and their upcoming remakes of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast (titled The Beast), The Jungle Book and possibly a 101 Dalmatians spin-off centered on Cruella. The Jungle Book has enjoyed immense popularity over the years, mostly in part due to the animated film and its evergreen music. However, Disney and Warner Bros. will be going head to head with their respective versions of the story, with Disney rushing out their Jungle Book sooner.
