Dominic Cooke to Direct ‘John Daniel,’ a Gorilla Story Set in Post-WWI England

Dominic Cooke, the British theatre director behind the recent stage spin-off “Game of Thrones: The Mad King,” will direct his first film since 2020’s “The Courier.” The project, titled “John Daniel,” has been acquired for worldwide sales by Cornerstone ahead of the American Film Market.

The film tells the true story of an unlikely friendship between a fiercely independent Englishwoman and a baby gorilla in the aftermath of the First World War. Alexi Kaye Campbell, writer of “Woman in Gold,” penned the screenplay. The story draws on original home movie footage and photographs recorded by locals in Uley, Gloucestershire, between 1918 and 1922.

Genesius Pictures produces, in association with Edward Film Company. BAFTA nominee Debbie Gray (“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande,” “Mrs Lowry & Son”) produces the film, now in pre-production. Principal photography begins in the U.K. in mid-2027.

How will the gorilla be created on screen?

The filmmakers will use motion capture and VFX to “deliver a photoreal performance” of the gorilla. Visual effects come from Axio World, led by Loris Mantello (“Avengers: Infinity War,” “Prehistoric Planet,” “The Lion King”) and Maoris Creantor (“The Lion King,” “Fast & Furious 9,” “The Matrix Resurrections”).

Set in 1918 in the Cotswolds village of Uley, the film follows Alyce Cunningham, who has built a solitary life behind a wall of wit and stoicism. That changes when her reckless nephew impulsively rescues a baby gorilla from the window of a London department store and, ignoring her protests, leaves her no option but to take him in.

Mischievous and endlessly curious, John Daniel, as she reluctantly names him, slowly wins her over. As he becomes part of village life, from the school classroom to the village pub, he brings joy back to the grieving community. When fear and suspicion threaten to drive him out, Alyce must decide how far she will go to protect the animal who has opened her heart.

What does the story mean to its makers?

“The moment I read this beautiful script by Alexi, I knew I wanted to be part of it,” Gray said. “It’s an extraordinary true story about a gorilla, but at its heart it’s a story of love, hope and human connection in the aftermath of war. At a time when the world can feel increasingly divided, this film reminds us of our capacity to heal, unite and find compassion again.”

Cooke added: “I am delighted to be attached to direct John Daniel – a beautiful, funny and profound story. Alexi’s script gets to the heart of the strange, necessary bonds between humans and animals. It shows how we sometimes need to surrender control in order to feel fully alive. I couldn’t be happier to be working with such committed and driven producers as Debbie Gray and the team at Cornerstone to bring this moving and hopeful true story to life.”

“John Daniel” marks Cooke’s third feature. He made his directorial debut in 2017 with “On Chesil Beach,” based on Ian McEwan’s Booker Prize-nominated novella and starring Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle. His second film, “The Courier,” starred Benedict Cumberbatch as a spy in a Cold War thriller.

Cooke is represented by UTA and Casarotto Ramsay & Associates.

With Cornerstone launching sales at AFM and a mid-2027 shoot on the calendar, “John Daniel” now enters the market as one of the few British true-story dramas pairing a leading theatre director with a photoreal gorilla built by effects veterans of “The Lion King.”