David Farnor | On 24, Feb 2021

Netflix has picked up David Oyelowo’s The Water Man.

The directorial debut of the Selma, Queen of Katwe and Spooks star, the adventure recalls the beloved family-friendly films of the 1980s.

Based on a script by Emma Needell that was featured on the 2015 Black List, it stars Oyelowo alongside Rosario Dawson, Alfred Molina and Maria Bello.

The film follows Gunner (Lonnie Chavis) and his mother (Rosario Dawson), who share a special bond. She supports his daydreaming and artistic pursuits, while his frequently-on-the-road father, Amos (Oyelowo), with whom Gunner shares a strained relationship, has other ideas about where his son’s interests should lie. Gunner and his dad attempt to smooth over their differences for the sake of the family, but when his mom’s sickness worsens, Gunner disappears into stacks of books on both science and the supernatural in search of possible cures. When Gunner and his rebellious friend Jo (Amiah Miller) go missing during their quest into the Water Man’s mysterious forest, Amos must immerse himself in his son’s world to find them and put his family back together.

It premiered at the 2020 Toronto Film Festival and will soon be released in the US by RLJE in May. Now, Netflix has picked up the international rights to release the film later this year.

The film, which hails from Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, ShivHans Pictures and Yoruba Saxon, is produced by Oyelowo, Carla Gardini, Shivani Rawat and Monica Levinson. Winfrey exec-produces, alongside Darren M. Demetre, Connor Flanagan and Needell.

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