BOMBAY TIMES (July 17, 2014)

Ten-year-old Indian-American boy Neel Sethi is set to star as Mowgli in the new live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's classic tale The Jungle Book. New York-born Sethi will be the only actor to appear on screen in the project, which is a combination of live-action and animation, said a website. Jon Favreau is directing the film from a script by Justin Marks for a 3D release in 2015. While Mowgli's jungle family will be created with the help of CGI, the voice cast boasts of Idris Elba as Sher Khan, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, and Scarlett Johansson and Lupita Nyong'o might join the cast as well. Favreau said it was important to cast the right face for Mowgli. He's confident Neel will be able to handle the role.
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MUMBAI MIRROR (July 17, 2014)

Jon Favreau has cast child actor Neel Sethi to take on the only acting role in his upcoming adaptation of Jungle Book. The 47-year-old actor-director has chosen the 10-year-old to play Mowgli, the orphan, raised in the jungle by a pack of wolves, Baloo the bear and Bagheera, the black panther, in his upcoming liveaction and animation reboot of the Disney classic.

Favreau said: ''Casting is the most important element of any film and finding the right kid to play Mowgli is imperative. Neel has tremendous talent and charisma. There is a lot riding on his little shoulders. I'm confident he can handle it.''

The filmmaker held auditions for thousands of hopefuls from New York to New Zealand, London to Canada and India.

Jungle Book will be the child actor's first big-screen appearance. Idris Elba will voice the lion Sher Khan while Ben Kingsley will provide vocals for Bagheera.