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After years of development, filming and an extensive post-production process, it's finally time to check out Andy Serkis' feature film rendition of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. In Mowgli: Legend of the JungleRohan Chand leads as the title character, a young boy who's grown up in the wild amongst a pack of wolves. While Mowgli loves the company of his jungle family which also includes the panther Bagheera (Christian Bale) and the bear Baloo (Serkis), the increasing threat of the tiger Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) leads the group to question whether Mowgli is really part of the pack or not.

We've seen feature adaptations of The Jungle Book before, but Serkis strives to do something different by telling a story that isn't for young kids but rather takes a more grounded, gritty approach to the source material. Serkis further sets his production apart from past interpretations by doing what he does best - striving to incorporate and enhance performance capture techniques. With Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle hitting Netflix on December 7th, I recently got the chance to sit down with Serkis and dish out my two burning questions; why does The Jungle Book deserve multiple big screen interpretations and what's his take on the rise of the "virtual production"?

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Image via Netflix

You can catch his answers in the video at the top of this article and be sure to keep an eye out for my conversations with Bale, Chand and composer Nitin Sawhney coming soon!

Here’s the official synopsis for Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle:

Acclaimed actor and director Andy Serkis reinvents Rudyard Kipling’s beloved masterpiece, in which a boy torn between two worlds accepts his destiny and becomes a legend. Mowgli (Rohan Chand) has never truly belonged in either the wilds of the jungle or the civilized world of man. Now he must navigate the inherent dangers of each on a journey to discover where he truly belongs. Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, Matthew Rhys and Naomie Harris lead an all-star cast along with newcomer Rohan Chand in this visually spectacular and emotionally moving adventure.

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Image via Netflix
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Image via Netflix

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