Golden Globe Award-nominated actor David Oyelwo‘s directorial debut, ‘The Water Man,’ has been picked up for worldwide distribution. The upcoming family adventure movie has been acquired by RLJE Films for North America, and by Netflix for the rest of the world.
The drama is set to be released day-and-date in theaters and on PVOD on May 7 in North America. Netflix will then release the movie internationally later this year. The feature had its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival to critical acclaim, and also opened this year’s Urbanworld Film Festival.
In addition to helming ‘The Water Man,’ Oyelowo also starred in the movie and served as a producer, alongside Oprah Winfrey. In addition to the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated actor, the drama also stars Rosario Dawson, Lonnie Chavis, Amiah Miller, Alfred Molina and Maria Bello. The movie’s Black List script was written by Emma Needell.
‘The Water Man’ follows Gunner (Chavis) as he sets out on a quest to save his ill mother (Dawson) by searching for the title mythic figure, which possesses the secret to immortality. After enlisting the help of a mysterious local girl, Jo (Miller), they journey together into the remote Wild Horse forest, but the deeper they venture, the stranger and more dangerous the forest becomes. Their only hope for rescue is Gunner’s father (Oyelowo), who will stop at nothing to find them, and in the process, will discover who his son really is.
“While in some ways this film is a father and son story, at its core it’s also a love letter to mothers everywhere, and is dedicated to my own. To be able to share my directorial debut, ‘The Water Man,’ with the world through the hands of RLJE Films and Netflix is a dream come true for me,” said Oyelowo.