John Lithgow's Olivier-winning Roald Dahl is heading for the big screen. Giant, Mark Rosenblatt's first play, was filmed live at the Harold Pinter Theatre with its original West End cast and opens in more than 900 cinemas across 18 countries on 19 November 2026.
No Royal Court Theatre production has been shown in cinemas before, and the film adds a fourth stage to a journey that has taken the play from Sloane Square to the West End and on to Broadway in under two years. Trafalgar Releasing, which produced and financed the filming, is distributing it to screens in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and further international territories, and an exclusive clip went out today, 5 November, two weeks ahead of the release.
The cameras captured the company from the Giant run at the Harold Pinter Theatre: John Lithgow as Roald Dahl, Elliot Levey as Tom Maschler, Aya Cash as Jessie Stone, Rachael Stirling as Felicity Dahl, Tessa Bonham Jones as Hallie and Richard Hope as Wally. Nicholas Hytner directs, with design by Bob Crowley, lighting by Anna Watson, sound by Alexandra Faye Braithwaite and casting by Arthur Carrington.
The play dramatises a true episode: the scandal that threatened to overshadow the legacy of the world's most famous children's author, and the clash of wills that follows when Dahl is offered a single chance to put things right.
It has gathered prizes at every address. Premiered at the Royal Court in September 2024, it sold out there and again in the West End, where it won three Olivier Awards: Best New Play, Best Actor for Lithgow and Best Supporting Actor for Levey. Broadway performances followed at the Music Box Theatre from 11 March to 28 June 2026, and brought Lithgow the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, with further nominations for Best Play, for Hytner's direction and for Cash as Best Featured Actress in a Play.
Royal Court artistic director David Byrne said: “This is a landmark moment for us - the very first Royal Court Theatre production to be screened in cinemas. After such huge demand for tickets at the Royal Court, in the West End and now on Broadway, it’s great more people will get a chance to see this award-winning production of Mark Rosenblatt’s astonishing debut play.”
For Rosenblatt, the prospect of a cinema audience is “giddy-makingly astounding”. “When I began to write GIANT, my first play, I never dreamed that it would be seen by so many – at the Royal Court, in the West End and, now, on Broadway,” he said.
The exclusive clip released today is the first look at the production as cinema audiences will see it.
The clip can also be watched on YouTube.
The film runs 136 minutes and carries a BBFC 15 certificate. It is presented by Brian and Dayna Lee, Stephanie Kramer and Nicole Kramer, Josh Fiedler and Robyn Goodman, and the Royal Court Theatre, in partnership with Trafalgar Releasing. The London run has closed, so there is nothing to book on stage; participating cinemas are listed at GiantInCinemas.com.
