After transitioning away from being an indie filmmaker early on in his career with the family-friendly flicks Elf and Zathura, Jon Favreau is in talks to return to that same realm again with Disney’s The Jungle Book. The project is one of two competing live-action adaptations currently in development based on Rudyard Kipling’s collection of short stories (which is now in the public domain). The other project is set up at Warner Brothers with no director currently attached. Disney’s script is being written by Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li) while the WB film is being penned by Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves. Favreau had this to say about the opportunity:

“I can’t say that much, but there is an interesting take that could be very cool, and the hope is to relaunch a family brand with certain mythic elements… It is my first real family film since Elf, and there are action elements and visual effects that I feel like my experience on the Iron Man films are going to be useful.”

It’s no surprise to see Favreau continuing his relationship with Disney, especially since he is apparently still working on their Magic Kingdom movie with Pixar reported to be helping out. Favreau is also currently wrapping up production on Chef, his first indie film in over a decade. Are you looking forward to Favreau’s upcoming Disney films or are you disappointed to see him once again directing movies aimed at kids?