Emily Watson to lead John Daniel, Dominic Cooke's true story of a baby gorilla in a Cotswolds village
By Fuzzy Mushroom · Published
Hamnet and Chernobyl star Emily Watson will play Alyce Cunningham in John Daniel, Dominic Cooke's first film since The Courier (2020). It's based on the real story of a baby gorilla rescued from a London department store window in 1918 and raised in the village of Uley, Gloucestershire, drawn from home movies and photos locals took between 1918 and 1922. Alexi Kaye Campbell (Woman in Gold) wrote it, the gorilla will be a photoreal motion-capture performance, and filming starts in the UK in mid-2027.
A gorilla in a Cotswolds pub — heartwarming Paddington-style hit, or one CGI ape too many?
How solid is this story?
Spore Score for the story: 81 (Rock solid). Status: Confirmed. Trades confirm: Casting announced to the trades as Cornerstone launches sales at AFM.
Sources
- Deadline: Emily Watson To Lead 'John Daniel', Dominic Cooke's Drama About Unlikely Friendship Between English Woman And Baby Gorilla (9 November 2026)
- Screen Daily: Emily Watson to lead Dominic Cooke's 'John Daniel' for Cornerstone (9 November 2026)
- The Hollywood Reporter: Emily Watson Cast in British Drama From Dominic Cooke 'John Daniel' (9 November 2026)
- Variety: Dominic Cooke to Direct 'John Daniel,' Real-Life Story of Woman's Friendship With Baby Gorilla in Post-WWI England, as Cornerstone Boards Sales (EXCLUSIVE) (30 October 2026)
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