Meet “Jungle Book”‘s New Mowgli
It’s a face that cheers me up. Disney is hoping it will cheer up the rest of the world, too. I’m talking about 10-year-old Neel Sethi, who has been cast as the “Jungle Book” hero in Disney’s combination live-action/animated version of the classic story. The New York actor was chosen from among thousands of hopefuls in a worldwide search. Sethi will be the only actor onscreen in the new film, which will also feature the voice talents of Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Idris Elba. The project is not to be confused with Warner Bros.’ own adaptation of the tale, which is set to be directed by motion-capture star Andy Serkis.
