Matt Smith to Star as an Alien in Jack Thorne's West End 'The Humans'

Matt Smith will play an alien inhabiting a Cambridge academic in "The Humans," a new stage adaptation by "Adolescence" writer Jack Thorne, premiering at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket on Oct. 30, 2027.

The limited run begins previews Oct. 30, 2027, opens Nov. 16, 2027, and closes Jan. 28, 2028 — a window of roughly 13 weeks. Jeremy Herrin, whose credits include "Wolf Hall" and "People, Places and Things," will direct. The remaining cast and creative team have not been announced. Smith, known for HBO's "House of the Dragon," takes the Haymarket stage the same year that Access Entertainment's "Game of Thrones: The Mad King" transfers to London from the Royal Shakespeare Company.

What is the story?

Smith's character has no name. He is an extraterrestrial sent to Earth to halt humanity's progress, which his kind regards as a threat. He takes over the body of Andrew Martin, a mathematics professor at Cambridge, and lives disguised as him. The role requires the actor to move between alien detachment and human feeling. The alien witnesses humanity at its worst and its best, and the encounter changes him.

Who is making it?

Melting Pot and Second Half Productions produce the play in association with Access Entertainment, Len Blavatnik and Danny Cohen's company, which owns the Haymarket. Herrin founded Second Half in 2020 with Alan Stacey and Rob O'Rahilly; he previously ran Headlong as artistic director and served as deputy artistic director of the Royal Court. Melting Pot, launched by Simon Friend in 2015, has produced the stage version of "Life of Pi" and the film "The Father," which won two Oscars.

"I love 'The Humans,' the chance to work on Matt Haig's beautiful book with Jeremy Herrin has been an absolute dream," Thorne said. "It is a story, at its heart, about an alien learning the complexity of beauty, and I can't think of a more beautiful alien than Matt Smith."

How did the author react?

Matt Haig called "The Humans" possibly the most personal of his novels, which makes him protective of it. "I am a massive fan of Jack Thorne and as soon as I saw his incredible script I knew this was being elevated into something very special indeed," he said. "And Matt Smith is the absolutely perfect protagonist for this story. He was almost designed for this role. It looks like people will be surprised in all the right ways."

Herrin said Thorne saw immediately what Haig's story could do on stage, adding that "in Matt Smith we have a beautifully skilled actor of courage and intensity to deliver a performance that will be unforgettable." Smith, reuniting with Herrin, said: "It's going to be a blast."

Haig's other novels include "The Midnight Library," a No. 1 bestseller on both the Sunday Times and New York Times lists, and "How to Stop Time"; his nonfiction includes "Reasons to Stay Alive," and his children's book "A Boy Called Christmas" became a feature film. His work appears in more than 50 languages. Thorne's credits include "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." Access Entertainment's film investments include "Conclave" and "The Zone of Interest," and its stage backing includes Sarah Snook's "The Picture of Dorian Gray." With casting still to come, the 2027 Haymarket slot gives Thorne his next major London premiere after "Adolescence."