‘The Jungle Book’ IMAX Trailer: Scarlett Johansson’s Kaa Tells Mowgli’s Origin Story

In one of The Jungle Book’s more inspired bits of casting, Scarlett Johansson voices the python Kaa, a character typically portrayed as male. Johansson’s distinctive voice is perfect for the hypnotic snake, who lulls Mowgli into a precarious sense of ease as she recounts his origin story in this new IMAX trailer for Jon Favreau’s re-telling of the classic tale.

Lupita Nyong’o introduces the latest trailer, which is actually more like a clip, showcasing some of the more visually compelling aspects of the film — and it makes a fairly convincing case for you to drop a few extra bucks to see The Jungle Book in IMAX. In the clip, Johansson’s imposing Kaa tells Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi) the story of how he came to live with the panther Bagheera, who rescued the young boy when Shere Khan killed his father. She also talks a bit about the red flower (fire), a powerful element from the realm of men.

Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of selfdiscovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.

The film also stars Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Christopher Walken as King Louie, Bill Murray as Baloo, and Lupita Nyong’o and Giancarlo Esposito as the wolves Raksha and Akela. The Jungle Book hits theaters on April 15.