'Jungle Book' movie casts 'Luther' star Idris Elba as tiger villain Shere Khan

Rudyard Kipling's classic tale, The Jungle Book, is in getting a new film adaptation from Disney and producers have found the perfect actor for the movie's villain - the dastardly tiger Shere Khan. Taking on this imposing role is Luther and Pacific Rim star Idris Elba. Directed by Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau, this new movie is a live-action adaptation that is also heavy on VFX.

Deadline has more information on the film, stating:

The studio has bolstered its creative team by setting as its production designers Alex McDowell (Man Of Steel, Rise Of The Guardians) and Chris Glass heading a team of concept artists that includes Michael Kutsche (Alice, Oz, Maleficent), Iain McCaig (Star Wars), and Justin Sweet (Chronicles Of Narnia). The story team is headed by Iron Man's David Lowery, who's working around the clock with seven full-time illustrators, with Legacy Effects participating in creature design and rigging. 

Clearly Disney isn't being stingy with this crew, and with the addition of Elba it looks like the company hopes to get the perfect cast for The Jungle Book. They better get it right, though, because there's apparently another Jungle Book movie project in the works from Warner Bros. Kipling's book is in public domain, so each company has the right to produce a film. So far the Disney version is leading the way to an earlier release.

Plus with Elba as Shere Khan, why even bother attempting to go up against this movie?

Expect more Jungle Book updates as casting and production updates come in.