Andy Serkis says his Jungle Book will be darker than Jon Favreau’s

The 52-year-old actor’s version, backed by Warner Bros, is also his directorial debut.

Lord of the Rings actor Andy Serkis says his adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s much loved Jungle Book will be a darker take than what was shown by Jon Favreau in his movie recently.

Andy Serkis’ version will be darker than what we saw in Favreau’s. (AP, Disney)

The 52-year-old actor’s version, backed by Warner Bros, is also his directorial debut.

Neel Sethi as Mowgli in a still from The Jungle Book.

“Ours is for a slightly older audience. It’s a PG-13, more a kind of Apes movie, a slightly darker take, closer to Rudyard Kipling’s.

“It’s great to scare kids in a safe environment because it’s an important part of development, and we all loved to be scared as kids, so we shouldn’t overly protect them.Kids are so sophisticated, and that is why our Jungle Book is quite dark,” Serkis said.

Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale and Benedict Cumberbatch are lending their voices to Serkis’ Jungle Book slated for release in 2018.

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