Disney and Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book continues to do big business at the international box office, having recently sailed past $500 million worldwide. That’s something that hasn’t gone unnoticed at the House of Mouse, and we learned only a fortnight ago that Disney had laid the groundwork for a direct sequel.
Yes, Favreau himself may have cooled talks that a follow-up was in the works, but today brings word that the studio has already nailed down release dates for Jungle Book 2 and a handful of other in-development fairytale movies. First reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the likes of July 28, 2017, April 6, 2018, Aug. 3, 2018, Dec. 25, 2018 and Dec. 20, 2019 have all been claimed by Disney, though there’s no word yet on what specific film will tumble in to each vacant slot.
Sources close to the House of Mouse hint that The Jungle Book 2 will take priority on the live-action slate, potentially occupying the April 6, 2018 window. That’s despite Andy Serkis’ Jungle Book: Origins, the fairytale yarn in the works over at Warner Bros., recently being pushed out into 2018. It’s conjecture at this early stage, of course, and we won’t know whether WB and Disney will attempt to tiptoe around a potential release clash until more information comes to light.
Further down the mapped out release slate, those dates across late 2018 and into 2019 will likely be reserved for the Emma Stone-fronted Cruella de Ville, Tim Burton’s Dumbo and the company’s Jungle Cruise movie, which is set to star Dwayne Johnson. Other fairytale features that will fill the available slots include Mary Poppins 2, Maleficent 2, Lasse Hallstrom’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, a Tinker Bell movie led by Resse Witherspoon and, lastly, a reimagined take on Peter Pan.
Expect further details to be released closer to the time, as Disney’s sprawling plan for its live-action fairytale films begins to take hold. The question now is, does the idea of a Jungle Book 2 – or indeed another of the other aforementioned flicks – pique your interest?