Benedict Cumberbatch to Voice 'Shere Khan' in Warner Bros' THE JUNGLE BOOK

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros.' has announced that 'Sherlock' star Benedict Cumberbatch will voice the character of man-eating tiger Shere Khan in their upcoming adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.

The film will hit the big screen on October 21, 2016. Helmed by Andy Serkis, the the project will be titled THE JUNGLE BOOK: ORIGINS.

THE JUNGLE BOOK, based on Rudyard Kipling's 1894 collection of stories, originally premiered as a Disney animated feature in 1967, followed by a live action version directed by Stephen Sommers in 1994.

Cumberbatch is an international multi-award winning theatre, television and film actor. His recent stage credits, both for the National Theatre, are After the Dance and alternating both the creature and Dr Frankenstein, inDanny Boyle's production of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for which he won the Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Best Actor awards.

Also, a critically-acclaimed television actor, he is currently best known for playing the title role in the BBC's Sherlock. His film work includes Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Star Trek into Darkness, 12 Years a Slave, The Fifth Estate, August: Osage County and the role of Smaug in The Hobbit trilogy, with the final instalment to be released later this year. In October Cumberbatch will be seen playing Alan Turning in The Imitation Game which opens The BFI London Film Festival.