Production on Andy Serkis’ live-action remake of Rudyard Kipling’s classic “The Jungle Book” is now underway. This film, marks the feature film directorial debut of Andy Serkis.

Blending live action and performance capture, the film features stars, Benedict Cumberbatch as the tiger, Shere Khan; Cate Blanchett as Kaa, the snake; Christian Bale as the panther, Bagheera; Andy Serkis as Baloo, the bear; Peter Mullan as the leader of the wolf pack, Akela; Tom Hollander as the scavenging hyena, Tabaqui; Naomie Harris as Nisha, the female wolf, who adopts the baby Mowgli as one of her cubs; Eddie Marsan as Nisha’s mate, Vihaan; and Jack Reynor as Mowgli’s Brother Wolf. On the human side, young actor Rohan Chand will play the boy raised by wolves, Mowgli.

Official synopsis:

The story follows the upbringing of the human child Mowgli, raised by a wolf pack in the jungles of India. As he learns the often harsh rules of the jungle, under the tutelage of a bear named Baloo and a panther named Bagheera, Mowgli becomes accepted by the animals of the jungle as one of their own. All but one: the fearsome tiger Shere Khan. But there may be greater dangers lurking in the jungle, as Mowgli comes face to face with his human origins.

The film is being produced by Steve Kloves, who wrote seven of the blockbuster “Harry Potter” films, and Jonathan Cavendish (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason”), with Nikki Penny (“Gravity”) serving as executive producer. The screenplay is by Callie Kloves, based on the stories by Kipling.

Among those collaborating with Serkis behind the scenes are production designer Gary Freeman (“Cinderella”), Oscar-winning editor Mark Sanger (“Gravity”) and Oscar-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”).

‘The Jungle Book’ is set to release in theaters on October 6, 2017.