A Different Man's Adam Pearson to play Joseph Merrick in new Elephant Man adaptation

Pearson will be the first disabled actor to portray Merrick on screen.

By Emma Keates | May 1, 2025 | 11:36am

Photo: A24

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A Different Man's Adam Pearson to play Joseph Merrick in new Elephant Man adaptation

The Elephant Man is returning to the silver screen. Adam Pearson, who made waves with his charisma-filled performance in last year’s A Different Man, will take on the role of Joseph Merrick, the real-life figure who inspired the tale, per Variety. This version of The Elephant Man will be directly adapted from Bernard Pomerance’s Tony-winning 1977 play of the same name, from a screenplay written by his son, Moby Pomerance.

Pearson, who was diagnosed with a neurocutaneous disorder called Neurofibromatosis type I as a child, will now be the first disabled actor to portray Merrick on screen, Variety reports. “Joseph Merrick is a man I have a long and complex relationship with,” Pearson said of taking on the role in a statement. “From having his name used as a term of derision to learning about the man himself in documentaries I’ve presented. It’s been a cathartic journey of growing to love and respect a man who I as a child I avoided even thinking about. Now as a disability advocate and actor, I can think of no greater honour (yet heavy responsibility) than to tell the true story of Joseph Carey Merrick.”

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Of course, this will not be the first time Merrick is portrayed on-screen altogether. John Hurt played the character in David Lynch’s 1980 film of the same name, although that project had no relation to Pomerance’s play, which was running on London’s West End at the time. (The character’s name was changed to John in Lynch’s adaptation.) The play’s producers actually launched a successful lawsuit against production company Brooksfilms over use of the Elephant Man name at the time.

The play—and this new adaptation—are centered on the personal diaries of Dr. Frederick Treves, Merrick’s physician, which he recorded during his time with Merrick in the London Hospital during the 1880s. Other notable actors who’ve portrayed Merrick onstage include Bradley Cooper, David Bowie, Billy Crudup, Mark Hamill, Philip Anglum, and David Schofield.

In a statement, Eve Pomerance said that her father “never wanted prosthetics to be used on stage as he felt it took the audience out of the story.” “He wanted them to empathise fully with Merrick, to see themselves in him,” she continued. “Lines like, ‘I am not an animal, I am a man’ which have become synonymous with the play, will take on greater meaning with Adam telling this story and enable the audience to finally stand in Merrick’s shoes. My father would be beyond excited to see his dream becoming a reality.”

No further casting has been announced as of this writing.