Adam Pearson will become the first disabled actor to portray Joseph Merrick on screen in an upcoming film adaptation of Bernard Pomerance's Tony-winning play The Elephant Man, . Filming is scheduled to begin in spring 2026, with Pomerance's son, Moby Pomerance, penning the screenplay.
The Elephant Man follows the life of Joseph Merrick, a man whose features were severely affected by a rare disease. The story follows his journey from exploitation in a carnival sideshow to receiving care from a compassionate doctor. The work premiered on Broadway in 1979, with Philip Anglim leading the company, and received three Tony Awards including Best Play. Revivals were staged in 2002 and 2014, with Billy Crudup then Bradley Cooper starring, respectively. Stage productions have traditionally not depicted Merrick's physical attributes.
"Joseph Merrick is a man I have a long and complex relationship with," Pearson told Variety in a statement. "From having his name used as a term of derision to learning about the man himself in documentaries I鈥檝e presented. It鈥檚 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 honor (yet heavy responsibility) than to tell the true story of Joseph Carey Merrick.鈥�
鈥淢y father never wanted prosthetics to be used on stage as he felt it took the audience out of the story," Eve Pomerance, daughter of Bernard Pomerance, told Variety. "He wanted them to empathise fully with Merrick, to see themselves in him. Lines like, 鈥業 am not an animal, I am a man鈥� 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鈥檚 shoes. My father would be beyond excited to see his dream becoming a reality.鈥�
The film will be produced by Stephen Nemeth for Rhino Films and Eve Pomerance for Major Motion Pictures.
