Netflix acquires Andy Serkis-directed 'Mowgli' from Warner Bros

Streaming giant Netflix has acquired actor-filmmaker Andy Serkis-directed "Mowgli" from Warner Bros and is planning to release the movie on the platform in 2019.

The CGI live-action film is based on the Jungle Book stories of Rudyard Kipling.

The movie will be released on the streaming service with a theatrical component built in so that audiences can see the 3D version that Serkis has been working so hard on, reported Entertainment Weekly.

Serkis said he is relieved to have Mowgli with Netflix to avoid the "pressure" and "comparisons" with Disney's live-action "The Jungle Book".

"What excites me most is the forward thinking at Netflix in how to present this, and the message of the movie. They understand this is a darker telling that doesn't fit it into a four quadrant slot. It's really not meant for young kids, though I think it's possible that 10 or above can watch it.

"It was always meant to be PG-13, and this allows us to go deeper, with darker themes, to be scary and frightening in moments. The violence between animals is not gratuitous, but it's definitely there. This way of going allows us to get the film out without compromise," Serkis said.

"Mowgli" features Christian Bale as panther Bagheera, Cate Blanchett as snake Kaa, Benedict Cumberbatch as tiger Shere Khan, Freida Pinto as village woman Messua, Tom Hollander as hyena Tabaqui, Peter Mullan as alpha wolf Akela, Naomie Harris as wolf mother Raksha, and Matthew Rhys as hunter John Lockwood.