The Jungle Book (franchise) as Baloo, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, Lupita Nyong'o as Raksha, Giancarlo Esposito as Akela, and Christopher Walken as King Louie. The film was released on April 15, 2016 to critical acclaim. After a fierce tiger threatens his life, Mowgli, an orphan boy raised by wolves, leaves his jungle home and, guided by a stern panther and a free-spirited bear, sets out on a journey of self-discovery. Following the film's early financial and critical successes, the studio has begun work on a sequel film. Favreau is reported to return as director, while
The Jungle Book his scheme to develop the morale and fitness of working-class youths in cities. Akela, the head wolf in "The Jungle Book", has become a senior figure in the movement; the name is traditionally adopted by the leader of each Cub Scout pack. "The Jungle Book" has been adapted many times in a wide variety of media. In literature, Robert Heinlein wrote the Hugo Award-winning science fiction novel, "Stranger in a Strange Land" (1961), when his wife, Virginia, suggested a new version of "The Jungle Book", but with a child raised by Martians instead of wolves. Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book"