Jay Russell (Ladder 49) is directing the film based on the children’s book by Dick King-Smith; according to The Hollywood Reporter, the film centers on a Scottish boy (Etel) who finds a mysterious egg on the shore of a loch. When the egg hatches, a water horse emerges, and the boy must find ways to protect the rapidly growing creature from those who see it as a threat. Morrissey will play Captain Hamilton of the Royal British Army whose troop has commandeered a small diner run by the boy’s mother (Watson).
Robert Nelson Jacobs is adapting The Water Horse screenplay; production is set to begin next month; a 2007 release is scheduled.