As previously reported, the success Disney has enjoyed with their live-action "Jungle Book" movie directed by Jon Favreau may cause trouble for the upcoming version from Warner Bros. Pictures, being directed by motion-capture pioneer Andy Serkis. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the studio is now bringing in Alfonso Cuaron as a consultant for their film.
Cuaron, who previously won an Academy Award for directing "Gravity" and will be aiding director Andy Serkis in shaping their film, "The Jungle Book: Origins," in order for it to stand on its own and compete with the success of the Disney version.
As stated in the report, the term "consultant" can refer to a wide variety of duties such as assisting Andy Serkis with directing duties or overseeing post-production. This does not necessarily mean the studios have no faith in Serkis but are taking steps to ensure that their movie will succeed despite having to step into the shadow of Disney's film.
It was previously reported that Warner Bros. has already taken the first step to separate their film from the Disney version by pushing back "The Jungle Book: Origins" to 2018 from its original 2017 release date, putting some time between the films.
According to Collider, Serkis and the cast have already completed principal photography for the motion-capture film since last year and always intended to make their version of the Rudyard Kipling story much more grounded and dark than the typical Disney film.
It later came as a surprise when it was revealed that the Disney version went the same route as their "Jungle Book" movie was darker and more violent than many expected it to be.
Disney is already working on a sequel to their film and now Warner Bros. has to run the risk of releasing yet another origin story when audiences are already gearing for a continuation of the story. It is expected that Cuaron will guide the project to avoid colliding with this issue.
"The Jungle Book: Origins" will release on Oct. 19 2018.
