Walt Disney Pictures announced today that Bill Murray has signed on to provide the voice of Baloo in the studio's adaptation of The Jungle Book. Take a look at the official announcement below, then read on for more details.

Veteran actor Bill Murray has joined the cast of Disney's The Jungle Book as the voice of Baloo.

Disney recently announced that Academy Award winner Christopher Walken will play King Louie while Giancarlo Esposito will play Akela, and the previously confirmed cast includes Academy Award winners Ben Kingsley and Lupita Nyong'o as Bagheera and Raksha, respectively; Golden Globe winner Idris Elba as Shere Khan; Scarlett Johansson as Kaa; and newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli.

The Jungle Book is a combination of live-action and animation, directed by Jon Favreau from a script by Justin Marks. The film will be released in 3D and arrives in theaters on October 9, 2015.

Last month, we reported that 10-year-old Neel Sethi, who emerged from a worldwide casting call to win the role of Mowgli, will be the only actor on screen in this live-action/CGI animation hybrid, with the rest of the cast members only providing the voices for their characters. It isn't known when production will begin.

Bill Murray most recently starred in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and he will next be seen in St. Vincent and Rock the Kasbah.