Lithgow's camp is framing this as a triumph of theatrical artistry—a chance to bring Mark Rosenblatt's 'play of extraordinary intelligence and humanity' to global audiences. The emphasis is on the art, not the artist being examined.
Insiders whisper that some industry folks are uneasy about amplifying Dahl's antisemitic history at all. Others note the timing feels provocative given ongoing cultural debates about separating artists from their worst moments.
The play was recorded at London's Harold Pinter Theatre with Lithgow, Aya Cash, Elliot Levey and Rachael Stirling; opens November 19 in US, Canada, UK, Australia. Dahl's controversial 1983 book review sparked backlash for antisemitic content, forcing a public apology.
This isn't just a theater release—it's a velvet-wrapped grenade being handed to audiences who may not know the full ugliness of Dahl's past. Lithgow better hope the craft is strong enough to justify the conversation this will ignite.
John Lithgow is bringing one of Broadway's most provocative plays directly to movie theaters, and it's going to spark exactly the kind of heated debate its creators probably hoped for. A filmed version of "Giant," recorded at London's Harold Pinter Theatre, will hit cinemas starting November 19 in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and select international territories, Variety reports. The play stars Lithgow as none other than Roald Dahl—the beloved children's author whose legacy has been repeatedly scrutinized over his documented antisemitic statements and writings.
"Giant" dramatizes a very specific moment from Dahl's troubled history: the 1983 scandal that forced him to choose between risking his reputation or issuing a public apology after writing a book review that garnered severe backlash for its antisemitic content. It's a deep dive into one of literature's most uncomfortable chapters, and Lithgow has apparently been mesmerizing audiences with his performance night after night. "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,'" Lithgow said in a statement.
"Mark Rosenblatt has written a play of extraordinary intelligence and humanity, and with every performance I can sense the audience wrestling with its questions in real time." The four-time Tony winner clearly sees this as career-defining material—which, given the subject matter, is either bold artistic ambition or a very calculated risk depending on how you look at it. The production has already earned serious critical acclaim and awards recognition. "Giant" won the Olivier Award and earned four Tony nominations including Best Play, Best Actor for Lithgow, and Featured Actress for Aya Cash.
The cast also includes Elliot Levey and Rachael Stirling, with Mark Rosenblatt writing and Nicholas Hytner directing. These aren't small names—this is a prestige production through and through. "When I began to write 'Giant,' I never dreamed that it would be seen by so many—at the Royal Court, in the West End and, now, on Broadway," Rosenblatt said.
"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." The playwright clearly sees global distribution as an artistic triumph, though one has to wonder if audiences walking in expecting a standard literary drama will be prepared for what's essentially a reckoning with a beloved author's darkest impulses.
The film version joins a growing list of Broadway productions getting theatrical releases—"Six," "Merrily We Roll Along," "Hamilton," "Come From Away" and "Waitress" have all made the leap to cinemas. But unlike most of those crowd-pleasing shows, "Giant" carries genuine controversy in its DNA. Dahl's antisemitic views weren't a one-time slip; they were documented, defended at times, and only addressed publicly after significant public pressure. Whether audiences will embrace or reject seeing that history dramatized remains to be seen—but one thing is certain: this fall's release won't quietly disappear into the entertainment ether.
