--- description: From Sherlock Holmes to Shere Khan title: Benedict Cumberbatch to Star in Warner Bros.' Jungle Book image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt44f1407bf8269617/6986a02d06f2c153ff33060a/benedict-cumberbatch.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Benedict Cumberbatch to Star in Warner Bros.' _Jungle Book_ by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 20, 2014 2:23 PM CUT  Actor Benedict Cumberbatch attends the Legendary Pictures preview and panel during Comic-Con International 2014 at San Diego Convention Center on July 26, 2014 in San Diego, California. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch attends the Legendary Pictures preview and panel during Comic-Con International 2014 at San Diego Convention Center on July 26, 2014 in San Diego, California.Albert L. Ortega—Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 20, 2014 2:23 PM CUT The Warner Bros.’ version of Rudyard Kipling’s _The Jungle Book_ has snagged [Benedict Cumberbatch](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/benedict-cumberbatch-joins-jungle-book-726146 "undefined") as its first voice lead. Cumberbatch will voice Shere Khan, the man-eating tiger and villain of the Kipling tale, according to _The Hollywood Reporter_. Andy Serkis—famed for his motion capture that brought the _Lord of the Rings_‘ Gollum to life—is making his directorial debut with the movie. _The Jungle Book_, based on the Kipling short stories, follows the orphaned Mowgli, who is raised by wolves and befriends Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther. A separate Disney adaptation of the _The Jungle Book_ with Idris Elba as Shere Khan and Jon Favreau directing, meanwhile, is set for release in 2015. \[[_THR_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/benedict-cumberbatch-joins-jungle-book-726146 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3148347/benedict-cumberbatch-to-star-in-warner-bros-jungle-book/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3148347/benedict-cumberbatch-to-star-in-warner-bros-jungle-book/"},"headline":"Benedict Cumberbatch to Star in Warner Bros.' Jungle Book","datePublished":"2014-08-20T14:23:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:45:52.367Z","description":"From Sherlock Holmes to Shere Khan","url":"https://time.com/3148347/benedict-cumberbatch-to-star-in-warner-bros-jungle-book/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt44f1407bf8269617/6986a02d06f2c153ff33060a/benedict-cumberbatch.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt44f1407bf8269617/6986a02d06f2c153ff33060a/benedict-cumberbatch.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Legendary Pictures Preview And Panel - Comic-Con International 2014","caption":"Legendary Pictures Preview And Panel - Comic-Con International 2014","creditText":"Albert L. Ortega—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3148347/benedict-cumberbatch-to-star-in-warner-bros-jungle-book/","name":"Benedict Cumberbatch to Star in Warner Bros.' Jungle Book"}}]}] ```