Matt Smith to star in The Humans play in the West End, based on Matt Haig’s novel

The actor will star in the world premiere of the new adaptation, written by Jack Thorne

Matt Smith is set to star in the world premiere of The Humans, a new play by Jack Thorne, adapted from Matt Haig’s novel of the same name.

The Humans follows an extraterrestrial sent to Earth to prevent the perceived threat of human advancement. The main character, played by Smith, takes over the body of Cambridge mathematician Professor Andrew Martin, and in doing so gets more than he bargained for, experiencing humanity’s flaws, contradictions and capacity for empathy and compassion.

The show will run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket for 13 weeks from 30 October 2027, with opening night on 16 November. It will be directed by Jeremy Herrin, with a script written by Thorne, winner of two Primetime Emmy Awards and six BAFTAs. Thorne’s stage work includes After Life and A Christmas Carol, whilst his television credits include Adolescence, The Hack and His Dark Materials.

The full cast and creative team are yet to be announced.

Haig is the author of The Humans, How to Stop Time and The Midnight Library, along with non-fiction books Reasons to Stay Alive and The Comfort Book. His children’s books include A Boy Called Christmas, which was adapted into a feature film. His most recent novel, The Life Impossible, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.

Haig says: “I am so excited about people seeing this. Of all my novels The Humans is possibly the most ‘me’ so I am instinctively protective over it, but 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. 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.”

Smith added today: “I’m thrilled to be reuniting with Jeremy Herrin to bring Matt Haig’s The Humans to the stage for the first time, adapted by the brilliant Jack Thorne. It’s going to be a blast.”

How to get tickets for The Humans in the West End

Tickets for The Humans starring Matt Smith are on sale now. Find yours here.