PHOTO FLASH: Kathie Lee Gifford, Phylicia Rashad, Steven Speilberg, et al. at War Horse Premiere

On Sunday, December 4, Stephen Spielberg’s film version of Michael Morpurgo’s novel War Horse premiered at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. The movie is scheduled to open in theaters on December 25.

Guests included Spielberg and Morpurgo, numerous cast members including Jeremy Irvine, Tom Hiddleston, and Emily Watson as well as Emily Bergl, Jessica Capshaw, Tony Danza, Cassidy Gifford, Kathie Lee Gifford, Megan Hilty, Dana Ivey, Brian d’Arcy James, Eriq LaSalle, Phylicia Rashad, and Anika Noni Rose.

Set against the backdrop of World War I, the book follows the friendship between a boy and a horse who are separated but whose fates continue to intertwine over the course of the Great War. Tony Award winner Lee Hall and Richard Curtis have written the screenplay for the film.