The "Jungle Book" film directed by Andy Serkis had its premiere date pushed back a year. Meanwhile, Serkis tells his future viewers to prepare for a darker take on the story of "Jungle Book."
Serkis' take on the "Jungle Book" franchise was originally set to premiere in October this year. However, Warner Bros. decided to push it back a year, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
Aside from steering away from premiering on the same date with Jon Favreau's Disney version, the shift of release date made Serkis happy because it has given him and the whole production more time to achieve their goals for the film.
"I've got to say that personally I'm absolutely thrilled that Warner Brothers have changed the delivery date of 'Jungle Book: Origins.' The ambition for this project is huge," Serkis said in a post on his official Facebook page.
"What we are attempting is an unprecedented level of psychological and emotional nuance in morphing the phenomenal performances of our cast into the facial expressions of our animals," Serkis added.
Meanwhile, people might be confused why Serkis will be making his own version of "Jungle Book," when Favreau premiered his version only recently. The director explains that his version will be much darker and for members of a "slightly older audience."
In an interview with Vulture, Serkis shared that movies should not be cautious with children viewership and that it's better to give children a scare when they are in a "safe environment." Also, Serkis appeals to children that loved to be scared, and his movie veers away from the norm of sheltering and overprotecting them.
Serkis described his version as "more a kind of 'Apes' movie, slightly darker take, closer to Rudyard Kipling's."
Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Matthew Rhys star in Serkis' "Jungle Book," Deadline reports.
"Jungle Book" is slated to premiere on Oct. 19, 2018.
