As part of its new feature film division, India-based animation company DQ Entertainment Ireland (DQE) has greenlit a stereoscopic 3D animated feature based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale The Jungle Book.

The US$45 million film has begun pre-production and is expected to be released in 2014.

On board as producer is DQE’s chairman and founder, Tapaas Chakravarti, while Rollman Entertainment’s CEO, Eric S. Rollman (former president of both Marvel Animation and Saban/Fox Family Productions), and DQE’S VP of intellectual property, Rouhini Jaswal, are serving as executive producers.

Jun Falkenstein (The Tigger Movie, The Smurfs, Despicable Me,) and Kevin Johnson (Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone, Astro Boy, Stuart Little) are handling co-directing duties and Billy Frolick (Madagascar) is the film’s writer.

Pre- and post-production will be based in Los Angeles and animation will be done at DQE’s Hyderabad, India-based headquarters.

DQE, which co-produces a TV series of The Jungle Book with ZDF Group Germany, Moonscoop and TF1, has also announced that two other classic titles are already in development for its next two film projects.

Several The Jungle Book movies have materialized over the years including a popular live-action version in 1942 and an equally well known Disney animated version from 1967, but the new movie marks the first time a Jungle Book has been made in 3D.