Christopher Walken and Giancarlo Esposito Join ‘The Jungle Book’ Cast

Christopher Walken and Giancarlo Esposito Join The Jungle Book
Christopher Walken (Photo © Richard Chavez)

Disney’s just added two actors with voices perfect for animated films to the cast of The Jungle Book. Christopher Walken and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) will be lending their voices to key characters in the live-action/animation mix directed by Jon Favreau.

According to Disney’s official announcement, Walken will voice King Louie, “the ruler of a troop of monkeys and apes.” Esposito has signed on to voice Akela, the wolf pack’s leader. The two join a cast that includes Neel Sethi as Mowgli, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o as Raksha, Golden Globe winner Idris Elba as Shere Khan, and Scarlett Johansson as Kaa. Sethi will actually be the only actor to physically appear in the movie.

Disney’s aiming for an October 9, 2015 theatrical release.