Warner Bros. Pictures has just released the official first trailer for the action-adventure “Mowgli” starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch and Freida Pinto.
The story follows the upbringing of the human child Mowgli, raised by a wolf pack in the jungles of India. As he learns the often harsh rules of the jungle, under the tutelage of a bear named Baloo and a panther named Bagheera, Mowgli becomes accepted by the animals of the jungle as one of their own. All but one: the fearsome tiger Shere Khan. But there may be greater dangers lurking in the jungle, as Mowgli comes face to face with his human origins.
The actors performing the roles of the story’s central animal characters are: Oscar winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter,” the “Dark Knight” Trilogy) as the cunning panther, Bagheera; Oscar winner Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine,” “The Aviator”) as the sinister snake, Kaa; Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game,” “Dr. Strange”) as the fearsome tiger, Shere Khan; Oscar nominee Naomie Harris (“Moonlight,” “Skyfall”) as Nisha, the female wolf, who adopts the baby Mowgli as one of her cubs; Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the Apes” trilogy) as the wise bear, Baloo; Peter Mullan (“Tommy’s Honour”) as the leader of the wolf pack, Akela; Jack Reynor (“Transformers: Age of Extinction”) as Mowgli’s Brother Wolf; Eddie Marsan (TV’s “Ray Donovan”) as Nisha’s mate, Vihaan; and Tom Hollander (“Muppets Most Wanted”) as the scavenging hyena, Tabaqui.
On the human side, Matthew Rhys (TV’s “The Americans”) is Lockwood; Freida Pinto (“Knight of Cups”) is Messua; and young actor Rohan Chand (“The Hundred-Foot Journey,” “Bad Words”) will play Mowgli, the boy raised by wolves.
“Mowgli” is produced by Steve Kloves, who wrote seven of the blockbuster “Harry Potter” films; Jonathan Cavendish (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” performance capture producer on “Godzilla”); and David Barron (the “Harry Potter” films), with Nikki Penny serving as executive producer. The screenplay is by Kloves’ daughter, Callie Kloves, based on the stories of Rudyard Kipling.
The Warner Bros. Pictures presentation is slated for release on October 18, in 2D and 3D in select theaters.
“Mowgli” is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.