Warners’ The Jungle Book Movie Casts Benedict Cumberbatch In The Most Obvious Role

I'm saving my jokes for below...

I’ll give you one guess.

Recommended Videos

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

ShereKhanWhat’s that? I didn’t hear you? Khan again?

I crack myself up.

Yes, Warner Bros. has cast none other than Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan in their adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This is not to be confused (but will totally be confused) with the other The Jungle Book in the works from Disney. That one has Idris Elba voicing Shere Khan and damn, I’d be hard pressed to say which is the better casting. I’m just gonna say I like them both equally.

Elba-Jungle Book is being directed by Jon Favreau and also has Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson, and Lupita Nyong’o attached.

Cumberbatch-Jungle Book is being helmed by Andy Serkis and as far as I know, this is the first official casting announcement. THR writes, “Callie Kloves wrote the script. Her father, Steve Kloves of Harry Potter fame, is producing.”

While the Disney version is said to be live-action, the THR report only mentions Cumberbatch taking on voice acting for the Warner project. But with motion-capture expert Serkis leading the pack, you can bet Cumberbatch is going to be making some weird faces again.

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?


The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article It’s Called Unadaptable for a Reason: All the ‘Dune’ Movies, Ranked
Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides in 'Dune: Part Two'
Read Article The Best Horror Movies on Max Right Now
A collage featuring some of the best horror movies on Max right now (clockwise from top left): 'House,' 'Under the Skin,' 'We're All Going to the World's Fair,' and 'It Comes at Night'
Read Article Anne Hathaway All but Confirms Our 2000s Dreams Are Coming True!
A young Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries (2001)
Read Article I Learned How To Play Tennis Like Zendaya for ‘Challengers’
Zendaya on a tennis court with a racket
Read Article Our 10 Favorite Movies From Alfred Hitchcock, the Enduring Master of Suspense
Janet Leigh screams in the shower in Psycho
Related Content
Read Article It’s Called Unadaptable for a Reason: All the ‘Dune’ Movies, Ranked
Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides in 'Dune: Part Two'
Read Article The Best Horror Movies on Max Right Now
A collage featuring some of the best horror movies on Max right now (clockwise from top left): 'House,' 'Under the Skin,' 'We're All Going to the World's Fair,' and 'It Comes at Night'
Read Article Anne Hathaway All but Confirms Our 2000s Dreams Are Coming True!
A young Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries (2001)
Read Article I Learned How To Play Tennis Like Zendaya for ‘Challengers’
Zendaya on a tennis court with a racket
Read Article Our 10 Favorite Movies From Alfred Hitchcock, the Enduring Master of Suspense
Janet Leigh screams in the shower in Psycho
Author
Jill Pantozzi
Jill Pantozzi is a pop-culture journalist and host who writes about all things nerdy and beyond! She’s Editor in Chief of the geek girl culture site The Mary Sue (Abrams Media Network), and hosts her own blog “Has Boobs, Reads Comics” (TheNerdyBird.com). She co-hosts the Crazy Sexy Geeks podcast along with superhero historian Alan Kistler, contributed to a book of essays titled “Chicks Read Comics,” (Mad Norwegian Press) and had her first comic book story in the IDW anthology, “Womanthology.” In 2012, she was featured on National Geographic’s "Comic Store Heroes," a documentary on the lives of comic book fans and the following year she was one of many Batman fans profiled in the documentary, "Legends of the Knight."