Warner Brothers has been searching for a new director to take over for their live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book since Alejandro González Iñárritu exited the project about a month ago. It now appears however, that their search may finally be over since Ron Howard is now reportedly in talks to helm the movie. Less than coincidentally Disney is making a competing Jungle Book movie which will be directed by Jon Favreau and is set to be released in October 2015.
Howard’s commitment to the film is far from a done deal however since it should be noted he has pretty busy schedule on his plate as it is. He’s currently in the middle of post-production for his next film Heart by the Sea and has already signed on to direct Inferno for Sony and Mena for Universal. I think it’s a safe bet that Warner Brothers will want to get The Jungle Book off the ground as soon as possible in order to compete with Disney so Howard may have to drop a project to make room this one.
I’ve got to ask though, am I missing something here? We’ve got competing Jungle Book pictures, not to mention the umpteenth adaptation of Tarzan (also being made by Warner Brothers) coming out a few months afterward. What brought this sudden demand for big-budget jungle movies?
Do you think Ron Howard is the best choice to direct The Jungle Book? Give us your thoughts in the comment section below.
Source: Badass Digest
