Claim: Tom Hiddleston turned down the role he was offered in War Horse.

War Horse is a 2011 American war drama film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis , adapted from English author Michael Morpurgo 's 1982 novel of the same name . The film 's cast includes Jeremy Irvine -LRB- in his film acting debut -RRB- , Emily Watson , David Thewlis , Tom Hiddleston , Benedict Cumberbatch , Eddie Marsan , Niels Arestrup , Toby Kebbell , David Kross and Peter Mullan . Set before and during World War I , it tells of the journey of Joey , a bay Thoroughbred horse raised by British teenager Albert -LRB- Irvine -RRB- , as he is bought by the British Army , leading him to encounter numerous individuals and owners throughout Europe , all the while experiencing the tragedies of the war happening around him .   DreamWorks Pictures acquired the film rights to the novel in December 2009 , with Spielberg announced to direct the film in May 2010 . Having directed many films set during the Second World War , it was his first film to tackle the events of World War I. Long-term Spielberg collaborators Janusz Kamiński , Michael Kahn , Rick Carter and John Williams all worked on the film as cinematographer , editor , production designer , and music composer , respectively .   Produced by DreamWorks Pictures and released by Touchstone Pictures , War Horse became a box-office success and was met with positive reviews . The film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture , two Golden Globe Awards and five BAFTAs .