Disney announced that Steven Spielberg will mount War Horse as his next directing project. This was the chatter among the agencies since March, when Spielberg traveled to London to see the stage adaptation of the Michael Morpugo novel, which DreamWorks acquired last year and hired Lee Hall to write. DreamWorks denied it at the time.  The play is about a man who searches for his horse after it is taken from him for use in WWI. Disney will distribute the film Aug. 10, 2011. It has been a long search for Spielberg to find the first film that DreamWorks will make in its new co-financing relationship with India-based Reliance. He was expected to make that film a new version of Harvey, but he dropped out of that film over difficulty finding an actor to take the role that James Stewart played in the original, the man who befriends the six and-one half foot tall invisible rabbit. (Previous: When Will It Be Showtime For Spielberg?) Below is the trailer for the London production of War Horse.

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