He's More Of A Family Man Than We Thought He Was

Add him to the list, folks — Christopher Walken has been tapped to join the cast of Jon Favreau's dual live-action and animated remake of The Jungle Book. According to TheWrap, Christopher Walken is set to voice King Louie, the ruler of a group of monkeys and apes.

The film, which will follow the jungle adventures of Mowgli (Neel Sethi), has also added on another familiar face to the already-famous cast: Giancarlo Esposito (you know, the chicken-loving villain from Breaking Bad). The Emmy-nominated Esposito will voice Akela, the leader of the wolf pack that raises the young boy.

And although it comes as no surprise that such high-profile actors are joining the children's film — the cast already includes the likes of Ben Kingsley, Lupita Nyong’o, Idris Elba, and Scarlett Johansson — it's worth noting that this isn't the only family-friendly film that Walken has recently signed onto; the actor was just cast to play Captain Hook in NBC's Peter Pan Live .

So what's the deal with Walken? Has he decided to take a break from cinematic masterpieces and move over to family films? Heck no. Sure, Walken has been in everything from Catch Me If You Can to The Deer Hunter to Pulp Fiction, but he's also already been in his fair share of children's films, so the genre is nothing new to him. Basically, he's just adding The Jungle Book and Peter Pan to his already family-oriented resume. Take a look at some of his past kid-friendly roles:

Puss in Boots (1988)

Walken played the titular feline in human form.

Mousehunt (1997)

The funny-man played the ridiculous exterminator in the film about two men trying to rid their house of a mouse.

Antz (1998)

Walken voiced Colonel Cutter, you know, the second-in-command to the mean commander.

The Country Bears (2002)

Obviously preparing for his role as a Peter Pan villain, the actor played Reed Thimple, the banker who schemes to take down Country Bear Hall.

Click (2006)

Walken played Morty, the Bed Bath & Beyond employee that was in charge of the movie's infamous remote.

Hairspray (2007)

The actor played the quirky husband of John Travolta's Edna Turnblat.

Images: Dreamworks; Columbia Pictures