Benedict Cumberbatch has just joined the voice cast of Warner Bros.' upcoming film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book," The Hollywood Reporter reported.  

The 38-year-old  "Sherlock" actor will lend his pipes to Shere Khan, the arrogant, man-eating tiger who regards himself as the rightful lord of the jungle in the 1894 classic tale about Mowgli, an orphaned boy raised by wolves who befriends Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther. The tiger Shere Khan is Mowgli's lifelong foe, with each seeking to kill the other.

Andy Serkis, dubbed as the motion capture king after his outstanding performances as Caesar in "Planet of the Apes" film series and as Gollum in "The Lord of The Rings" and "The Hobbit" franchises, is making his directorial debut with the new "Jungle Book" movie. Serkis will direct from a script by Callie Kloves. Kloves' father, Steve, who wrote the screenplay for the entire "Harry Potter" film series is producing.

This is not the first time the "Sherlock" star and the 50-year-old "The Prestige" actor will be working together. Cumberbatch did voice and motion capture work as the shameful dragon Smaug in "The Hobbit" movies, where Serkis also worked as the second unit director, aside from reprising his role as Gollum.

Serkis' "Jungle Book" film is one of two upcoming film adaptations of the fable. Disney's rival "Jungle Book" production is also underway, with John Favreau directing, and Idris Elba taking the Shere Khan role. In addition to Elba, the cast of Favreau's film also includes Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Christopher Walken, Ben Kingsley, and Lupita Nyong'o, The Telegraph reported.

Warner Bros.' reimagination of "Jungle Book" is said to be darker than Disney's version, according to The Guardian.

Disney's "Jungle Book" is set for an Oct. 9, 2015 release while that of Warner Bros.' will hit the theaters on Oct. 21 2016.