3. Ben Kingsley Joins The Jungle Book
ParamountJon Favreau's live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's beloved 1894 classic, The Jungle Book, is taking shape over at Disney, and adding members to its star-studded cast left and right. Idris Elba has already signed on to voice the villainous tiger Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson will voice the hypnotic python Kaa, and Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o will play Raksha, the wolf who raises the human boy Mowgli. Now, the film has gained another thespian, as THR reports that Sir Ben Kingsley has signed on to play the black panther Bagheera. No word yet on whether Favreau will employ motion capture for the animal performances, but the film is said to be a live-action/CGI hybrid, and will arrive in 3D on October 9, 2015.