Director Steven Spielberg is going to make a film adaptation of the 1982 fictional children’s novel, ‘War Horse,’ written by Michael Morpurgo.

The novel is set in and around the time of the First World War and told through the eyes of a young red-bay horse. The story tracks the trials and tribulations of the horse, who is sold, and sold again, before being sent off to the Western Front in 1914.

“From the moment I read it, I knew this was a film I wanted DreamWorks to make,” Spielberg, one of the founders of DreamWorks said. “Its heart and its message provide a story that can be felt in every country.”

DreamWorks announced in December of 2009 that it had acquired the rights to the book, but plans for a film adaptation only recently solidified with Spielberg himself stationed at the helm.

The Academy Award winning director recently abandoned plans to remake the classic 1950 film ‘Harvey.’ According to Variety, long time Spielberg collaborator, Tom Hanks, was the catalyst behind the death of the remake. Hanks refused to have any part in the ‘Harvey’ film. Spielberg reportedly tried to cast Robert Downey Jr. instead, but after the actor and filmmaker could not see eye to eye on details of script rewrites, the director gave up on the project.

Spielberg  has commissioned screenwriter Lee Hall (of ‘Billy Elliot’) to write the ‘War Horse’ script.

(Photo by PR Photos)

Story provided by the Dish Information Corporation