A new photo from Jon Favreau’s live-action take on The Jungle Book has been released online and it offers a look at the Mother Wolf, Raksha.
Alongside Raksha in the new image is Mowgli, played by Neel Sethi, who earned the role against over 2,000 other auditionees. “There was a certain quality we wanted, and we knew he was going to have to carry the film,” Favreau told Empire about the choice. “So it was going to have to be somebody that had a certain charisma, a certain charm and certain qualities that I remember from the cartoon.”
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Based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, The Jungle Book is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan, who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera, and the free-spirited bear Baloo. Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa, a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie, who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.
The Jungle Book is written by Justin Marks, and directed by Jon Favreau. The film stars Neel Sethi as Mowgli, features the voices of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Jamie Dornan, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken.
The Jungle Book opens in theaters April 15, 2016.
