Time for an update on a pair of movies you've maybe heard about circulating for a while but now have legit official ratings from the MPAA! First up is Andy Serkis' take on "The Jungle Book" story, dubbed simply Mowgli. After that, it's onto Otto Bathurst's gritty origin story of the Prince of Thieves, Robin Hood. You get three guesses as to just what their official ratings are, and the first two don't count.
As presided over by the MPAA, and confirmed over at Box Office Mojo, Mowgli has received a PG-13 rating for "intense sequences of action violence including bloody images, and some thematic elements", while Robin Hood has also landed a PG-13 rating for "extended sequences of violence and action, and some suggestive references." Totally makes sense that the "boy in the jungle raised by chill animals" story seems less tame than "freedom fighter takes down oppressive regime."
Serkis' Mowgli stars quite the cast: On the human side, we have Matthew Rhys as Lockwood, Freida Pinto as Messua, and young actor Rohan Chand (Bad Words) as Mowgli, the boy raised by wolves. Serkis' expert motion-capture and performance-capture work will turn award-winning actors into their animal counterparts, with Christian Bale as the cunning panther, Bagheera; Cate Blanchett as the sinister snake, Kaa; Benedict Cumberbatch as the fearsome tiger, Shere Khan; Naomie Harris as Nisha, the female wolf, who adopts the baby Mowgli as one of her cubs; Andy Serkis as the wise bear, Baloo; Peter Mullan as the leader of the wolf pack, Akela; Jack Reynor as Mowgli’s Brother Wolf; Eddie Marsan as Nisha’s mate, Vihaan; and Tom Hollander as the scavenging hyena, Tabaqui. Look for them all in theaters on October 19th.
Oh and the synopsis should sound familiar:
“The story follows the upbringing of the human child Mowgli, raised by a wolf pack in the jungles of India. As he learns the often harsh rules of the jungle, under the tutelage of a bear named Baloo and a panther named Bagheera, Mowgli becomes accepted by the animals of the jungle as one of their own. All but one: the fearsome tiger Shere Khan. But there may be greater dangers lurking in the jungle, as Mowgli comes face to face with his human origins.”
For Mowgli news, click on through these relevant stories:
- Andy Serkis’ ‘Jungle Book’ Movie Gets a New Title & First Synopsis
- Andy Serkis on Caesar’s Evolution Through the ‘Apes’ Trilogy, New Technology, and More
- Christian Bale on ‘The Promise’, ‘The Prestige’, and Why He’s Always on the Verge of Quitting
- ‘Doctor Strange’ Star Benedict Cumberbatch on Making His Hero More Vulnerable
Meanwhile, Robin Hood has Taron Egerton starring in the title role alongside Jamie Foxx as Little John, Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlett, Eve Hewson as Maid Marian, and Ben Mendelsohn devastatingly chic Sheriff of Nottingham, while Eve Hewson plays Maid Marian. Keep an eye out for the film on September 21st.
For more on Robin Hood, take a look at the related links:
- New ‘Robin Hood: Origins’ Images Reveal Ben Mendelsohn’s Villainous Sheriff of Nottingham
- First Look at Taron Egerton in ‘Robin Hood’ Teases a Gritty Origin Story
- Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn on ‘Una’, Moral Ambiguity, ‘Robin Hood’ and More
- First ‘Robin Hood: Origins’ Set Photos Reveal Taron Egerton as the Prince of Thieves
- ‘Robin Hood: Origins’ Will Do for Bows and Arrows What ‘John Wick’ Did for Guns