Over the years, Russell Crowe‘s worked with some big names, including Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, Darren Aronofsky, Peter Weir, Curtis Hanson, Sam Raimi and more. So obviously the actor’s picked up a thing or two. While Crowe’s helmed documentaries and videos, he’s never directed a feature-length narrative film until now. Titled “The Water Diviner,” Crowe’s directorial feature debut is a historical drama set in 1919, about an Australian man who travels to Turkey four years after the Battle of Gallipoli to locate his three missing sons—one of them reported missing in action.
The film stars Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney, Cem Yılmaz and Yılmaz Erdoğan, and we haven’t heard much about it since it was first announced last year. Written by Andrew Anastasios and Andrew Knight, the Weinstein Company took domestic rights to the film during Cannes after watching 12-minutes of footage that unspooled in the buyers market. “The Water Diviner” already has a Dec. 26 release date in Australia, and it’s possible we may see it this winter as well.
The first trailer has arrived and gives us our first taste of the film, which includes bits of sweeping historical tale, solemn drama and even romance. Watch below and let us know what you think.