Keira Knightley and Luke Thompson are coming together for stage adaptation of the 2006 Oscar-winning German film “The Lives of Others”.
It is after 15 long years that the 41-year-old actress is returning to the West End stage.
In the play, Knightley will portray an actor in East Germany in 1984 who is placed under state surveillance along with her novelist partner, played by “Bridgerton” star Luke Thompson. Stephen Dillane will play the role of the Stasi captain who spies on their relationship.
The play, adapted and directed by Robert Icke will have music by Max Richter. It is set to open at the Adelphi theatre in London this autumn.
Producer Sonia Friedman, maintaining her successful creative collaboration with Icke following acclaimed productions like “Oedipus,” described this project as a “thrilling” and “unexpected” reimagining of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s 2006 cinematic masterpiece.
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Friedman emphasised that Icke possesses a “rare ability” to merge profound intellectual concepts with deep “emotional truth.”
This latest collaboration aims to transform the film’s complex narrative into a gripping theatrical production guided by their collective artistic vision.
Friedman further noted that “The Lives of Others” is set within a landscape "where nothing is private, every word carries consequence, and the state holds power not just over lives, but over thought, speech and imagination itself."
The production serves as "a reminder of how fragile those freedoms are, and of the cost and courage required to hold on to them."
“The Lives of Others” will be helmed by Hildegard Bechtler, and will run at the Adelphi theatre from October 14 to January 9.
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