Hartnett to star in stage version of Rain Man

Published Tuesday 1 July 2008 at 12:15 by Alistair Smith

Exclusive: Josh Hartnett is to star in a new West End version of Rain Man - the Oscar-winning film featuring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

The stage adaptation, which will be directed by David Grindley and will open at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue in August, tells the story of a self-centred yuppie car dealer who discovers that he has an autistic-savant brother.

Hartnett is to play the role of Charlie, which was made famous by Cruise, in what will be the actor’s West End debut. British actor Adam Godley will play the role of Raymond - Charlie’s brother.

The 1988 movie won four Oscars - including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Actor for Hoffman.

Nica Burns, who is producing the show, told The Stage: “As you can imagine, we’re very excited. Josh was our first choice for the role from day one. He hasn’t done stage work for a while, because he has been so popular on film. In fact, he has turned down film roles to take this part. I think he and Adam Godley will complement each other wonderfully. They are both very challenging parts but in different ways

“This is not the film on stage, it’s a theatrical adaptation of what is a really great story.”

The play, which has been written by Dan Gordon, will run from August 28 for a strictly limited run until December 20.