It's becoming an increasing (and worrying) trend in Hollywood for studios to compete against each other for similar projects, as most recently occurred with "Die Hard in the White House" flicks Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down. Well, Walt Disney Pictures and Warner Bros. are doing the same thing with Rudyard Kipling's classic The Jungle Book, as was so memorably adapted in Disney's 1967 animated film. Andy Serkis is adapting his own live-action version for Warner Bros. while Jon Favreau is tackling one for Walt Disney, where Idris Elba is set to play Shere Khan, while Scarlet Johansson will reportedly play Kaa and Lupita N'yongo will play Raksha. Despite the movie being written by Justin "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" Marks, Favreau has proven himself an extremely skilled and versatile filmmaker over the years, so the odds are certainly in his favour. Predicted Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%
8. Crimson Peak (Oct 16)
Following his epic monster flick Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro is opting for something a little smaller and, well, cheaper for his next effort, the hugely-anticipated ghost story Crimson Peak. The story takes place in 19th century Cumbria and follows Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska), who finds out that there's more to her suave new husband Sir Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) than meets the eye. Little beyond that is known, except that Crimson Peak will be a "gothic romance", and that it will return del Toro to the R-rated roots of his acclaimed Spanish horror flicks. After the effects-heavy bombast of both Pacific Rim and Hellboy: The Golden Army, this might be just what the director needs to deliver another classic. A supporting cast including Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam certainly won't hurt. Predicted Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
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