Walt Disney Pictures has hired screenwriter Justin Marks (Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li) to write a live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book. Disney previously adapted Rudyard Kipling's short story collection into the 1967 animated feature The Jungle Book and 1994's live-action The Jungle Book.

The Jungle Book was first published in 1894, centering on a young boy named Mowgli who was raised by wolves and has friends such as a bear named Baloo and the panther Bagheera. The villainous tiger Shere Khan appears several times throughout the stories. No plot details were given concerning this new adaptation. Warner Bros. also has their own version of The Jungle Book in development with writer Steve Kloves.

This project is just the latest of Disney's animated films that are being re-worked for live-action movies. Alice in Wonderland got this trend started in 2010 after earning more than $1 billion at the box office worldwide. Maleficent, a different rendition of Sleeping Beauty as told through the villain's perspective, will hit theaters next summer. The studio is also prepping director Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella for a fall production start.

Justin Marks wrote an early draft of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo for Warner Bros., and has The Raven in development at Universal Pictures with Mark Wahlberg attached to produce.