July 16 – Disney has finally found the perfect actor for the role of protagonist Mowgli. After a worldwide casting search with thousands of auditions, Disney finally decided on newcomer Neel Sethi, who will make his film debut in Jon Favreau’s reinterpretation of Disney’s “The Jungle Book”.

Sethi, 10, from New York, will be the only actor to appear on screen, working alongside a cast of computer-generated characters voiced by Scarlett Johansson as the python Kaa, Lupita Nyong’O as Rakcha, Idris Elba as Shere Khan and Ben Kingsley as Bagheera.

Jon Favreau said in a statement: “Casting is the most important element of any film and it was imperative to find the right boy to play Mowgli.” He added: “Neel has tremendous talent and charisma. There’s a lot riding on his little shoulders and I’m confident he can handle it.”

Casting director Sarah Finn added: “Neel embodies the heart, humour and daring of the character. He is warm and approachable but also very intelligent for his age and impressed us all with his ability to hold his own in any situation. Although he has no professional acting experience, his natural charisma and instincts immediately caught our eye.”

“Life of Pi” actor Suraj Sharma was also discovered at a worldwide casting for the lead role in Ang Lee’s fantasy film. Without any acting experience, his debut role led the then 18-year-old New Delhi native to star alongside Jon Hamm in the Disney film “Million Dollar Arm.”

“The Jungle Book” is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 9, 2015.