Mowgli the movie is coming to Netflix screens.
The film, which suffered a number of delays, had originally been slated for cinematic release.
However ,Warner Bros has sold Andy Serkis dark adaptation of The Jungle Book to Netflix – one of their largest acquisitions.
In a move that was announced on Friday, Netflix acquired worldwide rights to the CGI live action film. The film was originally set for an October 19 theatrical release but will now be released by Netflix at a different date in 2019, Deadline reports.
The film stars Rohan Chand, who plays Rudy Kiplings Mowgli in a film that brings together stop-motion techniques with live action sequences.
Serkis has used such techniques in his portrayal of Gollum in The Lord of The Rings and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes. The character of the bear Baloo will be rendered in this way.
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Disneys The Jungle Book was planned for release around the same time as Serkis feature, and he was ultimately relieved that Netflix purchased the film, as it gave him time to finish the post-production capture techniques and avoided comparisons between the two.
He said: We found ourselves in this race with Disney and there was a [time] when we were neck and neck, in who would come first. Both studios wanted to be first. But we realised that the performance capture techniques required time in how I wanted to work in post, and we decided to let the other film have its moment.
We took our time, he added, allowing the animators to make the most of the great performances by Blanchett, Cumberbatch and Christian Bale, to bring them to life in the most extraordinary way we could.
The director is excited at the prospect of Netflix releasing the film, and said they remain dedicated to the darker themes of the movie.
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What excites me most is the forward thinking at Netflix in how to present this. They understand this is a darker telling… Its really not meant for young kids, though I think its possible that 10 or above can watch it
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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 its definitely there. This way of going allows us to get the film out without compromise.
Warner Bros has been contacted for comment.
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