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Although a projected screen version of Matt Haig’s 2013 novel The Humans seems to have been long lost in development hell (it was announced by Haig at the same time as the book), next year will see a major West End adaptation of the story, with a major star in the lead role.
Erstwhile Doctor Who, current Daemon Targaryen Matt Smith will return to the stage for the first time since 2024 to star as Cambridge mathematician Professor Andrew Martin – or rather he’ll technically play the nameless alien who has possessed Martin in an effort to sabotage humanity. But uh-oh: he (or it) is required to live out Martin’s day-to-day domestic life, and in doing so discovers that maybe humans aren’t as bad as all that.
It’s a slightly out of the blue adaptation: Haig has not been widely adapted for the stage, with a 2019 touring version of his non-fiction work Reasons to Stay Alive the only major previous outing. But as well as Smith there’s a formidable creative team behind this one, with big shot director Jeremy Herrin helming things and the adaptation by the hugely versatile Jack Thorne, who is well-versed in bringing fantastical stuff to the theatre, having done the honours for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Let the Right One In.
The Humans will be at Theatre Royal Haymarket, Oct 30 2027-Jan 28 2028. Tickets are on sale now.
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