If you were to guess the type of feature film Russell Crowe would direct, I'm pretty sure you'd have THE WATER DIVINER. Their official channel on YouTube uploaded a behind-the-scenes video giving us a peek at what we can expect from a Maximus-helmed flick. In one word: epic.
The story takes place in the early 1900s, as a father (Crowe) travels to Turkey to search for his three missing sons after the Battle of Gallipoli. The battle represents one of the largest Allied failures of the first world war. The day the campaign started (April 25, 1915) is widely recognized as Anzac Day in New Zealand and Australia. Given its history down under, it's no surprise Crowe found himself invested enough in the material to direct it. The film looks about as ambitious as one can get with a debut. There's wartime adventure, sweeping vistas, a struggle for acceptance, and even a dash of romance courtesy of the gorgeous Olga Kurylenko. Also not content with playing just Bruce Willis' son in A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD, affair, Jai Courtney (soon to be seen as Kyle Reese in TERMINATOR: GENESIS) will also be playing one of Russell Crowe's sons in this film.
Watching the video, I got a particular kick out of the commanding lead Crowe takes on set, which is very reminiscent of his commanding presence first seen in GLADIATOR. I'd like to think Crowe gives speeches on set worthy of the Krypton council.
THE WATER DIVINER is set for release sometime in 2014.