Could Russell Crowe’s directorial debut, The Water Diviner, be the next Gallipoli?

SEE the trailer for Russell Crowe’s directorial debut, and the film the Australian industry hopes will drag it out of its current woes.

RUSSELL Crowe’s character has an uncanny strike rate with H20 in the upcoming WWI drama The Water Diviner, for which the first official trailer has just been released.

Industry observers are hoping that the Oscar-winning actor can translate that ancient art into a similar ability to tap into a seam of box office gold.

There’s a lot riding on Crowe’s $9 million Boxing Day release, also starring Olga Kurylenko and Jai Courtney.

The story of a father who travels to Turkey to find his three fallen sons marks Crowe’s hotly anticipated directorial debut after more than 25 years in front of the camera.

It’s also carrying the hope of the Australian film industry, currently experiencing one of the worst years on record, on its shoulders.

The Water Diviner picks up where the Australian classic Gallipoli left off.

“This is what happens to the people who were left back at home. There’s a whole bunch of stuff to do with being a father, grief and loss,’’ Crowe told News Corp Australia.

“I don’t think any part of this narrative glorifies war. The exact opposite.”