Idris Elba To Voice Shere Khan in Disney’s The Jungle Book

1 minute read

Good news alert: Though you may have thought the news that Disney was working on a live-action reboot of The Jungle Book couldn’t get any better, it just did. In an example of great casting, Deadline reports that Luther star Idris Elba is in final talks to voice the villainous tiger Shere Khan in the upcoming film.

Once all the negotiations are finalized, Elba will be joining the Jon Favreau-directed film, which will be a mix of live action and visual effects. Justin Marks is penning the script, which is obviously based on the Rudyard Kipling story about an orphan boy named Mowgli who is raised by animals in the jungle.

Disney is reportedly moving quickly with the project because Warner Bros. is working on a rival version of the classic story.

[Deadline]

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com