Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett Join Warner Bros.’ ‘Jungle Book’

Following yesterday’s announcement that Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on to voice the villainous tiger Shere Khan, additional stars have been added to the animal cast of Warner Bros.’ Jungle Book: Origins.

According to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction) have all been signed on to voice characters in the adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling classic.

Jungle Book centers on Mowgli, an orphaned boy who was raised in the Indian jungle by wolves. He befriends members of the animal kingdom, Baheera and Baloo, who save Mowgli from the killer tiger Shere Khan (Cumberbatch) and teach him the law of the jungle.

The feature mixes together motion capture, CG animation, and live action. Bale will lend his voice to the fearsome panther Bagheera, Blanchett will voice the sinister python Kaa, and director Andy Serkis will voice the good-natured bear Baloo.

Additional cast members joining are Naomi Harris, Tom Hollander, Eddie Marsan, Petter Mullan, and Rohan Chand as the human boy Mowgli.

In the Disney adaptation with Jon Favreau as director, Idris Elba will voice Shere Khan, Ben Kingsley will voice Bagheera, Scarlett Johansson will voice Kaa, and Bill Murray will voice Baloo.

Favreau’s adaptation will hit theaters on October 9, 2015, with Serkis’ Origins following a year later on October 21, 2016.