The first trailer for Warner Bros Pictures’ Mowglihit the internet yesterday (May 21). Based on the famous Rudyard Kipling story, The Jungle Book, Mowgli mixes real actors with computer-generated animals to tell the fantasy-adventure tale of a boy raised by wolves in the jungles of India.

If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because Disney made that exact movie, based on the same source material, in 2016, when it was called The Jungle Book (the same as Kipling’s story). That one was directed by Jon Favreau and featured the voices of Bill Murray, Scarlett Johannsson, and Idris Elba. It grossed nearly $1 billion at the global box office.

Mowgli boasts a formidable voice cast of its own that includes Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes motion-capture legend Andy Serkis will direct. Serkis has said his film will be darker and grittier than Disney’s adaptation of the Kipling work.

Two nearly identical films being made by different studios, within two years of each other, is more common than it sounds. Hollywood is actually filled with examples of what the industry has dubbed “twin films.”

Sometimes similar scripts bounce around Hollywood studios and production companies, resulting in analogous films. Sometimes there’s a race to produce a film based on a major current event or celebrity death. And sometimes, twin films are just the result of a weird coincidence.

In the case of Mowgli, the film was in development before Disney’s The Jungle Book was even announced. But the Disney film was able to get made first, making Mowgli look like the duplicate. Having to essentially re-tell a story told just two years ago by Disney, however tonally different, will make it very difficult for Serkis’ film to perform as well at the box office as Favreau’s did.

But the film that comes first isn’t necessarily the more successful one. Danny Boyle’s 2015 film about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (played by Michael Fassbender, from a script by Aaron Sorkin), for instance, was far better received than the 2013 Jobs biopic that starred Ashton Kutcher.

Here are some other notable examples of twin films throughout Hollywood history:

For more instances of “twin films,” TV Tropes has compiled a nearly exhaustive list. The most recent case might be the 2017 film All the Money in the World and the 2018 FX series Trust, which are both about oil tycoon J. Paul Getty and the kidnapping of his grandson, John Paul Getty III.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (also known and stylized on screen simply as Mowgli) is a 2018 adventuredrama film directed by Andy Serkis with a screenplay by Callie Kloves, based on stories collected in All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling. The film stars Rohan Chand, Matthew Rhys, and Freida Pinto, along with voice and motion capture performances from Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, and Serkis.

Talks of a new Jungle Book film from Warner Bros. Pictures began in 2012 and various directors, including Steve Kloves, Ron Howard, and Alejandro González Iñárritu, were approached before Serkis was confirmed in March 2014. Much of the cast signed on that August and principal photography began in March 2015. Filming took place in South Africa and at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England.

Originally scheduled to be released in October 2016 by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film was delayed numerous times to work on the visual effects and to create space between itself and the April 2016 release of Walt Disney Pictures' own Jungle Book adaptation. In July 2018, Warner Bros. Pictures sold the rights for the film to Netflix. The film was released in select theaters on November 29, 2018, followed by its subsequent digital Netflix release on December 7, 2018. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cast, visual effects, and Serkis' direction, but many compared it unfavorably to the Disney film and criticized the uneven tone, calling it a 'messy—if ambitious—misfire'.^[2]

• 2Cast

Plot[edit]

In the jungle, Kaa, a Indian python seer, watches as Shere Khan, a crippled Bengal tiger, breaks jungle law by hunting down a family of humans, with only a child escaping. Bagheera, a panther drawn to the scene, rescues the man-cub, Mowgli, and takes him to a family of Indian wolves being raised by Nisha and Vihaan, only for Tabaqui, Shere Khan's hyena lieutenant, to find the boy before he is chased off. They take the infant Mowgli before the wolf council and Akela, the leader of the pack, to decide his destiny with Bagheera buying his life with a kill and Baloo strong-armed into agreeing. Shere Khan arrives to kill Mowgli, but Akela stops him, saying the boy is now under the protection of the pack and forces Shere Khan to leave. Shere Khan swears he would return when Akela misses his prey.

For many years after, Mowgli lives amongst the wolf pack. One day, Mowgli goes swimming alone and encounters Shere Khan. He manages to escape the tiger but then falls into a pit and is saved by an Indian elephant missing a tusk. Bagheera finds Mowgli and takes him home. Though Bagheera reveals to Mowgli that he is a human and he will be safe if he goes to the Man-Village, Mowgli declares that he wishes to be a wolf. He declares that he will only go if he fails the pack's trial, which would determine if he can become a full member of the pack.

During the trial, Bagheera, acting as a predator to chase the young wolves and test their strength, continually chases Mowgli and causes him to fail when he would have come in first. As Baloo scolds Bagheera for being too aggressive, Mowgli is kidnapped by the Bandar-log on Tabaqui's orders for Shere Khan. Shere Khan attempts to kill Mowgli while he is unconscious but is stopped by Baloo and Bagheera. During their battle with Shere Khan's monkey minions, they are overwhelmed, only for Kaa herself to appear and save Mowgli.

Mowgli learns that Kaa has been watching him the whole time and that she believes that he has the power to change the jungle. She then directs him to face Shere Khan, who is again challenging Akela for Mowgli when he finally missed his prey. Mowgli stops the tiger and Akela's challengers with fire taken from the Man-Village but shames himself in Akela's eyes and is forced to leave the pack. At the Man-Village Mowgli is captured by the villagers when British colonial hunter John Lockwood knocks him out. Bagheera visits him and sadly tells him to stay, encouraging the boy to gain their trust, as Bagheera once did to escape captivity when he was young. Mowgli slowly comes to enjoy human and village life, being raised by the kindly Messua and learning hunting skills from Lockwood.

However, Mowgli's attitude towards Lockwood changes when he sees that Lockwood hunts for sport and has killed Bhoot, an albino wolf cub friend of Mowgli. He also learns that Shere Khan has driven the wolves loyal to Akela to the edge of the jungle after being informed by Gray Brother. Mowgli meets with Baloo, Bagheera, and the wolf pack, declaring that Shere Khan must die. The animals feel obligated to remain out of the conflict as it would break jungle law to fight Shere Khan.

Regardless, Mowgli proceeds with his plan and lures Shere Khan to the edge of the village, where with the help of the bull elephants, he mortally wounds the tiger while Tabaqui flees. However, Lockwood accidentally injures Mowgli with a bullet while trying to kill the tiger and shoots Akela when the wolf saves Mowgli from Shere Khan. Lockwood is killed by the broken-tusked elephant before he can do more harm and the other animals rally to Mowgli upon seeing his resolve. Akela gives Mowgli his blessing to lead the jungle's creatures and the wolf pack before he dies peacefully. Mowgli decides to leave the village behind and returns to the jungle, where he stabs the wounded Shere Khan, finally killing the tiger and ending his reign of terror. Mowgli is re-accepted as a member of the jungle.

Kaa goes on to say that with Shere Khan and Lockwood gone, Mowgli gave the jungle a voice. As long as Mowgli lived and watched over it, there was peace in the jungle.

Cast[edit]

• Rohan Chand as Mowgli, a feral boy who is raised by wolves.
• Matthew Rhys as John Lockwood, a colonial hunter who hunts for trophies and comes to hunt Shere Khan.
• Freida Pinto as Messua, a woman who takes in Mowgli.

Voice and motion-capture cast[edit]

• Christian Bale as Bagheera, a black panther who is one of Mowgli's teachers and was born in human custody.
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan, a Bengal tiger with a crippled front leg who is Mowgli's arch-nemesis.
• Cate Blanchett as Kaa, an Indian Python who is the jungle's seer, one of Mowgli's mentors, and the narrator of the film.
• Tom Hollander as Tabaqui, a derangedstriped hyena who is Shere Khan's companion.
• Andy Serkis as Baloo, a brown bear who is one of Mowgli's teachers.
• Peter Mullan as Akela, an Indian wolf who is the leader of his pack.
• Naomie Harris as Nisha, an Indian wolf who is Mowgli's adopted mother.
• Eddie Marsan as Vihaan, an Indian wolf who is Mowgli’s adopted father.
• Jack Reynor as Gray Brother, an Indian wolf who is the oldest and most loyal of Mowgli's wolf brothers.
• Louis Ashbourne Serkis as Bhoot, an albino Indian wolf cub in Akela's pack.

Production[edit]

A number of writers, directors, and producers were connected with the film during its development. Illmatic zip. In April 2012, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that it was developing the film with Steve Kloves in talks to write, direct, and produce it.^[3] It was reported in December 2013 that Kloves would produce the film, and Alejandro González Iñárritu was in talks to direct, from a screenplay by Kloves' daughter Callie.^[4] However, in January 2014, Iñárritu left the project due to scheduling conflicts with Birdman and The Revenant.^[5][6] In February 2014, it was reported that Ron Howard was in talks to direct, and would produce the film with Brian Grazer through their Imagine Entertainment company.^[6] The next month it was announced that Andy Serkis would direct and produce the film with collaborator Jonathan Cavendish of The Imaginarium, and Serkis would also perform the role of Baloo.^[7] Production designer Gary Freeman, editor Mark Sanger, and costume designer Alexandra Byrne were hired.^[8]

In August 2014, Benedict Cumberbatch joined the film to voice the villain role of Shere Khan.^[9]Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, Tom Hollander, Eddie Marsan, Peter Mullan, and Rohan Chand were announced the following day.^[10]Jack Reynor was added to the cast in March 2015 as Mowgli's Brother Wolf.^[8] It was announced in April 2015 that Matthew Rhys was in talks to play the human role of John Lockwood.^[11] In May 2015, it was reported that Freida Pinto would be playing an unspecified live-action role along with Rhys and Chand,^[12] later confirmed to be Mowgli's adoptive mother.^[13]

Principal photography began on March 9, 2015.^[8] It was filmed in South Africa and at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England.^[14]

Release[edit]

The film, originally titled Jungle Book: Origins, was initially set for an October 2016 release by Warner Bros.^[1] In December 2014, Warner Bros. shifted the date to October 2017, allowing more time for further work on the visual effects.^[15] In April 2016, just before the wide release of Disney's The Jungle Book, the film's release date was moved to October 19, 2018.^[16] In October 2017, Andy Serkis revealed the working title of the film to be Mowgli: Tales from the Jungle Book.^[17] In December, the official title was changed to Mowgli.^[18] Serkis stated that the film would be 'darker' and more 'serious' in tone than previous Jungle Book adaptations, thus closer to that of Kipling's original works.^[19] In March 2018, Serkis said first footage would be released 'very soon.'^[20] The first trailer and a behind-the-scenes featurette premiered on May 21, 2018.^[21][22]

In July 2018, it was announced that Netflix had purchased the worldwide distribution rights of the film from Warner Bros., and would set a 2019 release date, including a theatrical 3D release.^[23] At the time of the announcement, Deadline Hollywood described the film as 'over-baked and over-budget' and said it allowed Warner Bros. to avoid 'Pan-like box office bomb headlines' and saved them millions of dollars for not needing to promote the film.^[24] Speaking of the move, Serkis stated:

'I'm really excited about Netflix for Mowgli. 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.'^[23]

On November 7, 2018, Netflix released a new trailer for the film, announcing a new title change, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, as well as its limited theatrical release on November 29, 2018, and its subsequent streaming release on December 7, 2018.^[25] The film had its world premiere in Mumbai on November 25, 2018, the first time a Hollywood film premiered in India.^[26]

Reception[edit]

On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 52% based on 93 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's critical consenses reads, 'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle brings impressive special effects to bear on the darker side of its classic source material, but loses track of the story's heart along the way.'^[27] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating 'mixed or average reviews'.^[28]

Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a 'C+' and wrote: 'Too dark for kids, too tame for adults. Stunning effects, occasionally wretched motion-capture. The technology may be there, but that doesn't mean it's been utilized to its full, feeling powers. It's a coming-of-age story unable to push forward in all the ways that really matter.'^[29] Similarly, The Atlantic's reviewer David Sims claimed the film suffers from weak visual effects and bland story.^[30]

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Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com awarded Mowgli two stars, criticizing the film's motion capture effects and comparing the film unfavorably to Favreau's The Jungle Book.^[31] Olly Richards of Empire gave the film 2/5 stars, writing that 'for all his ambition, Serkis can't find the right tone for Mowgli and it becomes a very confused beast, neither fun enough for all ages to enjoy nor complex enough to be the visceral, grown-up thriller he nudges at.^[32]The Observer's reviewer Wendy Ide awarded the film 3/5 stars, praising the film's visual and technical effects but opining that there was too much trauma and animal violence to attract family audiences.^[33]

David Fear of Rolling Stone gave the film 3/5 stars, describing Mowgli as 'a harsher, darker, more CGI-heavy look at 'The Jungle Book'.' While criticizing the film's CGI effects, Fear praised Christian Bale, Andy Serkis, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Cate Blanchett for their voicework as Bagheera, Baloo, Shere Khan, and Kaa.^[34] Michael Sullivan of The Washington Post awarded the film 4/5 stars, praising Andy Serkis for combining motion capture animation with live action footage while cautioning parents not to watch it with their kids due to its adult themes and violence.^[35] Additionally, Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times praised Mowgli for incorporating the darker and more mature elements of Kipling's The Jungle Book; also favorably comparing the film to Disney's two family friendly Jungle Book iterations and describing Mowgli as 'the movie equivalent of a whiskey chaser after a sugary shake.'^[36]

Rohan Naahar of the Hindustan Times awarded Mowgli 4/5 stars, praising Serkis for delivering 'a nuanced, visually dazzling update of the Jungle Book for Netflix.' While praising the film for its technical effects and mature themes, Naahar expressed disappointment with the under-representation of Indians in the main cast apart from Freida Pinto.^[37]Collider's Matt Goldberg described the film as a 'blood-soak version of the Jungle Book.' Goldberg criticized the film's level of violence and unsatisfactory CGI effects, giving the film a D rating.^[38]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abMcNary, Dave (1 August 2014). 'Andy Serkis' 'Jungle Book: Origins' Set for October 2016, A Year After Disney's 'Jungle Book''. Variety. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
2. ^Fujitani, Ryan (29 November 2018). 'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle Is Ambitious but Uneven'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
3. ^Fleming Jr, Mike (27 April 2012). 'Steve Kloves To Write-Direct 'The Jungle Book' For Warner Bros'. Deadline. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
4. ^Sneider, Jeff (4 December 2013). 'Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu to Direct 'Jungle Book' Movie for Warner Bros'. TheWrap. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
5. ^Fleming Jr, Mike (9 January 2014). 'No 'Jungle Book' For Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu At Warner Bros'. Deadline. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
6. ^ ^abSiegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys (14 February 2014). 'Ron Howard in Talks to Direct Warner Bros.' 'The Jungle Book''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
7. ^McNary, Dave (20 March 2014). 'Andy Serkis to Direct 'Jungle Book' for Warner Bros.Dave McNary'. Variety. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
8. ^ ^abcLesnick, Silas (9 March 2015). 'Production Officially Begins on Warner Bros.' The Jungle Book'. ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
9. ^Kit, Borys (19 August 2014). 'Benedict Cumberbatch Joins 'Jungle Book' for Warner Bros'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
10. ^Kit, Borys (20 August 2014). 'Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett Join 'Jungle Book: Origins''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
11. ^Jaafar, Ali (1 April 2015). 'Matthew Rhys In Talks To Join 'Jungle Book: Origins' For Warner Bros'. Deadline. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
12. ^Tartaglione, Nancy (8 May 2015). 'Freida Pinto Swings Into Andy Serkis' 'Jungle Book: Origins' At Warner Bros'. Deadline. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
13. ^Murphy, Desiree (3 March 2016). 'EXCLUSIVE: Freida Pinto Reveals the Role She's Playing in 'Jungle Book: Origins''. Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
14. ^'Andy Serkis' Jungle Book Gets A PG-13 Rating For Bloody Images'. CulturedVultures.com. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
15. ^Kit, Borys (11 December 2014). 'Warner Bros. Pushes Release Date of 'Jungle Book: Origins''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
16. ^Ford, Rebecca (6 April 2016). 'Warner Bros. Pushes 'Jungle Book' to 2018, 'Wonder Woman' Gets New Date'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
17. ^Houghton, Rianne (20 October 2017). 'Andy Serkis reveals the working title of his Jungle Book movie'. Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
18. ^Stauffer, Derek (19 December 2017). 'Andy Serkis' Jungle Book Retitled Mowgli; Official Synopsis Released'. Screen Rant. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
19. ^'Mowgli, Robin Hood Rated PG-13 by MPAA'. Comingsoon.net. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
20. ^'First Trailer For Andy Serkis' Mowgli Is Coming 'Very Soon''. Screenrant.com. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
21. ^'Mowgli trailer: first look at Andy Serkis's dark Jungle Book film'. The Daily Telegraph. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
22. ^Pedersen, Erik; Pedersen, Erik (21 May 2018). ''Mowgli' Trailer: Andy Serkis' Dark 'Jungle Book' Tale With Big-Name Cast'.
23. ^ ^abFleming Jr, Mike (27 July 2018). 'Netflix Acquires Andy Serkis-Directed 'Mowgli' From Warner Bros & Plans 2019 Global Streaming Release'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
24. ^D'Alessandro, Anthony (29 July 2018). ''Mission' Accomplished: 'Fallout' $61M+ Opening Reps Record For Tom Cruise Franchise – Sunday'. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
25. ^Sinha-Roy, Piya (8 November 2018). 'Watch Netflix's new trailer for Andy Serkis' dark twist on The Jungle Book tale, Mowgli'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
26. ^Nyay Bhushan (26 November 2018). 'Netflix Picks India for World Premiere of 'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
27. ^'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
28. ^'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
29. ^Erbland, Kate (28 November 2018). 'Mowgli' Review: Andy Serkis' Impressive Effects Can't Mask Unappealing Remake'. IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
30. ^Sims, David (29 November 2018). 'It's No Wonder Netflix's Mowgli Took Forever to Be Released'. The Atlantic. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
31. ^Seitz, Matt Zoller. 'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle'. RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
32. ^Richards, Olly (29 November 2018). 'Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle Review'. Empire Online. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
33. ^Ide, Wendy (30 November 2018). 'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle review – a stunningly strange beast'. The Observer. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
34. ^Fear, David (3 December 2018). ''Mowgli' Review: Welcome to the Jungle (Book)'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
35. ^O'Sullivan, Michael (4 December 2018). 'This new 'Jungle Book' movie is just as stunning as the recent Disney one — just don't take your kids'. The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
36. ^Adele, Robert (28 November 2018). 'Review: Andy Serkis' 'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle' is a walk on the wilder side'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
37. ^Naahar, Rohan (7 December 2018). 'Mowgli Legend of the Jungle movie review: Christian Bale brings Dark Knight darkness to Netflix's dazzling Jungle Book'. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
38. ^Goldberg, Matt. ''Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle' Review: A Blood-Soaked Version of 'The Jungle Book''. Collider. Retrieved 21 December 2018.

External links[edit]

• Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle on Netflix
• Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle on IMDb