We’re going back to the bare necessities, as a new live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic is in the works at Warner Bros. Variety is now reporting the man who will oversee the script and the actual production and it’s one of the studio’s favorite people.
After bringing in billions of dollars for the Harry Potter saga, Steve Kloves has been set to write and direct this new version about the young boy Mowgli and his adventures with the wild animals of the jungle. Kloves has recently worked on the now-shelved Akira as well as Sony’s upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man, but my personal favorite of his is still Wonder Boys. He hasn’t directed a film in nearly two decades, since the drama Flesh and Bone, which starring Dennis Quaid, James Caan and Gwyneth Paltrow.
With all of his time being consumed with wizards, it’s good to see he’ll be going right back behind the camera. Having grown up with Stephen Sommers’ live-action version of The Jungle Book, the original Disney animation is still near and dear to my heart as well. I hope Kloves can do it justice and shy away from a “gritty” version, as recent adaptations are so inclined to do. Check out one of my favorite bits of the 1967 version below.
What would you want to see in a new live-action Jungle Book?