Adam Pearson, who featured in A24’s comic noir “A Different Man,” is set to play the lead role of Joseph Merrick in “The Elephant Man,” a new feature film adaptation of Bernard Pomerance’s Tony-winning play. The screenplay is written by Bernanrd’s son, Moby Pomerance. Filming is scheduled to begin in spring 2026.
The storyline of Pomerance’s play is an adaptation of the diaries of Dr. Frederick Treves, Merrick’s physician, and spans the years he spent at the London Hospital. During his lifetime, Pomerance received thousands of letters from people around the world stating, “I am The Elephant Man”, a well-known line from the play.
Pomerance’s play gained fame because of the huge success of the adaptation, which first ran on the West End in London in 1977. It later ran Off-Broadway. Around that time, David Lynch helmed a film based on Merrick’s life, also titled “The Elephant Man,” but the 1980 Oscar-nominated feature had no direct relation to the play. In fact, producers of the original Pomerance play sued the film’s producer Brooksfilms at the time, over the Hollywood production’s use of the same title.
With this production, Adam Pearson will become the first disabled actor to play Joseph Merrick on screen. In a statement, Pearson said, “Joseph Merrick is a man I have a long and complex relationship with. 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.”
Other actors who have played Merrick in the play, including on Broadway and in the West End, are Bradley Cooper, David Bowie, Billy Crudup, Mark Hamil, Philip Anglum and David Schofield who originated the role in London in 1977.
Eve Pomerance said, “My 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. 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.”
The Elephant Man will be produced by Stephen Nemeth for Rhino Films and Eve Pomerance for Major Motion Pictures. Adam Pearson is represented by Andrew Roach (DEIversity Talent Management) and Victoria Lepper (Victoria Lepper Associates).
