Bill Murray Signs On To Voice Baloo In Jon Favreau’s Star Studded ‘Jungle Book’ Remake
Bill Murray has become the latest addition to the already star studded voice cast of Disney's upcoming Jungle Book remake. Murray will reportedly be lending his voice to Baloo, the fun loving bear who befriends Mowgli and teaches him the ways of the jungle.
Murray will be joining an already impressive cast, which just last week added Christopher Walken, who was announced as voicing King Louie. Scarlett Johansson has also signed on as the python Kaa, while Lupita Nyong'o will be heard as Raksha.
Oscar winner Ben Kingsley will also be lending his vocal talents, as Bagheera the Panther, while 'The Wire's' Idris Elba will be voicing Shere Khan. Newcomer Neel Sethi has also been announced as playing Mowgli.
More: Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong’o And Now Christopher Walken: Meet The Epic 'Jungle Book' Cast
The film is being produced by Disney and will be directed by Iron Man and Chef’s Jon Favreau. Based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale and Disney’s 1967 adaptation, Favreau’s Jungle Book will blend live action with CGI animation. Currently the film is due out in cinemas on October 9th 2015.
The Jungle Book will be something of a reunion for Murray and Scarlett Johansson, who last appeared on screen together over a decade ago in the Oscar-winning Lost in Translation.
More: The Man, The Myth, The Murray Legend: The Ten Best Bill Murray Stories
But The Jungle Book will not the first time Murray has lent his voice to a famous animal. In 2004 he voiced Garfield the cat in a live action movie, after he signed on thinking he was working with Fargo’s Joel Coen. Instead, the Garfield script had been penned by Joel Cohen, writer of Cheaper by the Dozen.
Let's hope this time Bill knows exactly what he's signed up for, after all there is another Jungle Book currently in the works. Directed by Andy Serkis, Warner Bros’ The Jungle Book: Origins is said to be coming our way in October 2016, although no cast announcements have been made yet.