Giant: John Lithgow’s Roald Dahl Play to Reach Global Cinema Audiences

The West End production of Giant, in which John Lithgow portrays children’s author Roald Dahl, will be screened in cinemas worldwide beginning 19 November 2026. The film captures a live performance at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre and will be shown in more than 900 cinemas across 18 countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia.

John Lithgow Brings Giant to Cinemas on November 19

Mark Rosenblatt’s debut play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 2024 before moving to the West End later that year. The production earned three 2025 Olivier Awards—Best New Play, Best Actor (Lithgow) and Best Supporting Actor (Elliot Levey). In March 2026 the show opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre for a 16-week run, closing at the end of June. The same cast—Lithgow, Aya Cash, Elliot Levey, Rachael Stirling, Tessa Bonham Jones and Richard Hope—continues in the Broadway staging, linking the cinema version directly to the current stage run.

John Lithgow Brings Giant to Cinemas on November 19John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

• John Lithgow – Lead actor, Roald Dahl

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

• Mark Rosenblatt – Playwright

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

• David Byrne – Artistic Director, Royal Court Theatre

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

• Elliot Levey, Aya Cash, Rachael Stirling, Tessa Bonham Jones, Richard Hope – Supporting cast

John Lithgow Brings Giant to Cinemas on November 19

• Producers: Brian Lee, Dayna Lee, Stephanie Kramer, Nicole Kramer, Josh Fiedler, Robyn Goodman, in partnership with the Royal Court Theatre and Trafalgar Releasing for cinema distribution.

John Lithgow Brings Giant to Cinemas on November 19

• Cinemas: > 900 venues, 18 territories

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

• Ticket sales open: 9 July 2026

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

• Awards: 3 Olivier Awards (2025); 2026 Tony nominations for Best Play, Leading Actor (Lithgow), Featured Actress (Cash) and Direction (Nicholas Hytner).

John Lithgow Brings Giant to Cinemas on November 19

Lithgow emphasized the rarity of audience engagement, noting that the cinema version will extend the play’s “urgency, impact and emotional force” to a broader public. Rosenblatt expressed astonishment that a debut play now reaches a global audience, describing the cinema format as delivering “a new kind of immediacy and intimacy—close-up, at a cinema.” David Byrne called the release a “landmark” moment, the first of its kind for the theatre. Producers highlighted the intentional, wide-scale rollout, positioning the film as a record of a live theatrical event rather than a separate adaptation.

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

The cinema launch follows the 2023 revisions to Roald Dahl’s books, in which publishers removed language deemed offensive on the grounds of race, gender and disability. Critics of Dahl’s legacy argue that the play arrives amid ongoing discussions about how his work should be presented, adding a layer of cultural scrutiny to the production’s reception.

John Lithgow Brings Giant to Cinemas on November 19

Screening a live stage performance in mainstream cinemas expands access beyond traditional theatre-going audiences, offering a “close-up” experience that blurs the line between stage and screen. The timing aligns the play with contemporary debates over literary heritage, potentially influencing public perception of Dahl’s oeuvre.

John Lithgow Brings Giant to Cinemas on November 19

• 19 Nov 2026: Global cinema debut

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

• 2026-2027 awards season: Potential Tony wins and further international screenings

John Lithgow Brings Giant to Cinemas on November 19

• “John Lithgow won the best actor award at the 2025 Olivier Awards (Ian West/PA) Lithgow said: “In my 53-year, 25-show career on Broadway, I’ve rarely experienced the kind of audience response that we feel night after night with Giant.” — John Lithgow, Actor

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

• “Rosenblatt said: “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.” — Mark Rosenblatt, Playwright

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

• “That the play, and this exquisite cast’s stellar performances, might now be experienced by a yet wider audience around the world with a new kind of immediacy and intimacy – close-up, at a cinema – is, to me at least, giddy-makingly astounding.” — Mark Rosenblatt, Playwright

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe

• “David Byrne, the artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre, where the play first premiered, said the cinema release is a “landmark” moment and a first for the theatre.” — David Byrne, Artistic Director, Royal Court Theatre

John Lithgow thrilled Roald Dahl play Giant will screen in cinemas across globe