Netflix Releases Official ‘Mowgli’ Trailer, Announces 2018 Release Date

When Netflix purchased the distribution rights to Mowgli, Andy Serkis‘ dark take on The Jungle Book tale, the film was pushed back to sometime in 2019. However, that all changed late Wednesday night when the streaming service released a brand new trailer for the movie, revealing that it would be released in just a few weeks.

Now called Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, Netflix’s newly-acquired blockbuster will be available to stream around the world on December 7th. Unlike many other Netflix films, Mowgli will be getting a limited theatrical release for about a week before it’s set to begin streaming. Starting November 29th, Netflix will put Mowgli in theaters in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and London.

The new trailer, which you can watch in the video above, is the first to be released since Netflix bought the film from Warner Bros. earlier this year. It focuses on Mowgli’s conflict of being part of the human village just outside of the jungle, and the animals who raised him.

“I wanted to make an emotional version of this story, which has already been told many times,” director Andy Serkis said in Singapore on Thursday (per Variety). “I wanted to explore being an outsider. Being dislodged, being other. It is a hugely contemporary idea that could do with exploration.”

After a couple of early delays, Warner Bros. had planned on releasing Mowgli in October of this year, but decided in July to sell the project to Netflix. At the time, Netflix was set to release the film in 2019. Fortunately for the fans who have been waiting multiple years to see Mowgli, the new release date is just next month.

“I’m really excited about Netflix for Mowgli,” Serkis told Deadline when the acquisition was made. “Now, we avoid comparisons to the other movie and it’s a relief not to have the pressure. I’ve seen the 3D version, and it’s exceptional, a different view from the 2D version, really lush and with great depth, and there will be some kind of theatrical component for that. What excites me most is the forward thinking at Netflix in how to present this, and the message of the movie. They understand this is a darker telling that doesn’t fit it into a four quadrant slot. It’s really not meant for young kids, though I think it’s possible that 10 or above can watch it. It was always meant to be PG-13, and this allows us to go deeper, with darker themes, to be scary and frightening in moments. The violence between animals is not gratuitous, but it’s definitely there. This way of going allows us to get the film out without compromise.”

Serkis, best-known for his motion-capture work in franchises like Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes, not only directed the upcoming film, but also stars as the lovable Baloo the bear. The rest of the all-star voice cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Naomie Harris. Mowgli also features live-action performances from Rohan Chand, Matthew Rhys, and Freida Pinto.

Are you excited for Mowgli to arrive on Netflix? What do you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments!