Josh Hartnett To Star In "Rain Man" On Stage

Josh Hartnett will make his West End debut toplining a new stage adaptation of "Rain Man" that begins perfs in London later this summer.

Hartnett plays the Tom Cruise character in the legit version of 1988 pic "Rain Man," with Brit thesp Adam Godley ("The Pillowman") co-starring as the autistic savant played onscreen by Dustin Hoffman.

Director David Grindley, whose Rialto resume includes "Journey's End" and "Pygmalion," helms the new adaptation by Dan Gordon ("The Hurricane," "Wyatt Earp"). Film's story, centered on a road trip taken by a narcissistic car dealer and the autistic older brother he never knew he had, has been updated to the present day.

Legit adaptations of movies have become increasingly common on London stages, with the Old Vic's "All About My Mother" and Kneehigh's "Brief Encounter" just two recent examples. Gordon, whose play "Irena's Vow" opens Off Broadway in September, also wrote a stage version of "Terms of Endearment" that toured the U.K.

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