"Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch will be lending his deep, deviously husky vocals to the reboot of the animated movie "The Jungle Book". The actor will be the voice of Shere Khan, the villainous and predatory tiger in the flick.

Warner Bros. will be adapting the movie based on the classic book by Rudyard Kipling.

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"The Jungle Book" revolves around Mowgli, a human boy raised by wolves, and his experiences in the jungle he calls home. In the story, we are introduced to Mowgli's animal friends - a bear called Baloo and a panther named Bagheera. 

While certain wild creatures befriend the little boy, one would rather eat him. Shere Khan is relentless, stalking the human boy, determined to have his fill of him. Mowgli is prompted to defend himself and the family he grew up to know.

Actor Andy Serkis makes his directorial debut with the new "Jungle Book" movie. Serkis is best known for his role as Gollum in Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Oddly enough, two adaptations of the book will be pitted against each other. Serkis' interpretation versus John Favreau's adaptation.

Actor-director Favreau of "Iron Man" fame will be working with Disney on their own version of the movie. Idris Elba will be taking on the role of Shere Khan in Favreau's "Jungle Book".

Favreau's flick is scheduled to open in theaters next year, with an impressive cast consisting of famous names including Bill Murray, Scarlett Johannsen, Christopher Walken, Ben Kingsley, and Lupita Nyong'o.

On the other hand, Serkis' version is expected to be released in 2016. So far, only Cumberbatch has been announced as a cast member.

Voicing a creature isn't really anything new to Cumberbatch. He also voiced the gold-loving dragon, Smaug, in "The Hobbit", wherein coincidentally, Serkis had reprised his role as Gollum.

TagsJungle Book movie, Benedict Cumberbatch, Shere Khan, Gollum, actor