Bill Murray will voice the lovable bear Baloo in Disney’s live action-animated hybrid The Jungle Book, the Walt Disney Studios announced Friday evening.
Murray's casting comes on the heels of news that Christopher Walken will play King Louie, while Giancarlo Esposito will voice Akela.
Murray will reprise the role made famous by Phil Harris, the actor and musician who sang the 1967 animated feature's most beloved song, a tribute to the easygoing spirit of the character and his passive way of living. Harris died in 1995.
Disney announced last month that Mowgli, the human boy at the center of Rudyard Kipling's tale, would be played by 10-year-old newcomer Neel Sethi from New York. Sethi will make his acting debut in the film directed by Jon Favreau.
Other Jungle Book voice actors include Scarlett Johansson (Kaa, the python), Idris Elba (Shere Khan, the duplicitous tiger), Lupita Nyong'o (Rakcha, the mother wolf) and Ben Kingsley (Bagheera, the friendly leopard).
Disney's version of The Jungle Book is scheduled for an Oct. 9, 2015 release. Warner Bros. is also working on a Jungle Book movie with Andy Serkis directing, but no date has been set for that film.