Swapping one Khan for another, Benedict Cumberbatch will put his deep, resonant voice to good use as man-eating tiger Shere Khan in Warner Bros.’ live-action version of The Jungle Book. In this context, “live-action” likely means one or two real actors interacting with a bunch of computer-generated animals, but that doesn’t mean Cumberbatch won’t sound sufficiently threatening as the voice of a killer jungle cat.
Officially titled Jungle Book: Origins, Warner Bros.’ adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling novel is lagging a bit behind Disney’s competing version, which has already assembled a full voice cast that includes the likes of Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson, and Bill Murray. That film will feature Idris Elba as Shere Khan—a choice that will hopefully inspire both actors to push their already distinctive voices into heretofore uncharted areas of sonic discovery, eventually resulting in a video mash-up to determine who has the best purr.
[via The Hollywood Reporter]