Meet the King of the Bandar-log in this brand new clip from Disney’s The Jungle Book! King Louie wants that red flower – aka fire – and thinks that Mowgli can give it to him. Yes, that’s the voice of Christopher Walken coming out of the oversize King Louie.
Filmmakers rethought the look—and species—of King Louie. “There are no orangutans in this part of the jungle, so we had to make a leap from the animated film,” says Director Jon Favreau. “According to Indian legend, a Gigantopithecus is like a jungle version of a yeti-an elusive character. We exaggerated his height and size even more—he’s a fantasy character, so we pushed it.”
It’s interesting to me how hearing how Walken plays the role immediately made me think of a mob boss, which, I think, is exactly the reaction Favreau wants. Disney’s The Jungle Book swings into theaters on April 15.
Movie Synopsis:
Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela. “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world. The wild adventure swings into theaters in 3D on April 15, 2016.
Previously: Disney’s The Jungle Book clips and Featurette