The multitalented Andy Serkis, who recently served as second unit director for Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, has been named as the new director for Warner Bros. live action/motion capture adaptation of The Jungle Book. Alejandro González Iñárritu, director of Carlotta‘s favourite film Amores Perros (happy birthday, Carlotta!), was originally set to direct; we assume he’s sashayed off to collect some more ridiculous diacritical marks for his name.

With his experience in the six Middle-Earth films, not to mention King Kong, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Tintin, we can’t imagine a better person to take on this role than Serkis. Let’s hope he’s up to browbeating screenwriter Callie Kloves, daughter of Harry Potter ruiner Steve, into making this a proper adaptation of Kipling’s masterpiece rather than another anodyne Disney hugfest.

Also, we really hope he plays Kaa. Like, REALLY hope. If there’s one thing cinema needs, it’s Andy Serkis, dressed as a snake, hypnotising an entire ruined city full of monkeys into lying down so he can eat them.