Keira Knightley, Luke Thompson and Stephen Dillane set for The Lives of Others in the West End

The West End will host the world premiere of The Lives of Others, a new play adapted from the hit German film of the same name.

Adapted and directed by Robert Icke, the production will star Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane and WhatsOnStage Award winner Luke Thompson, and will run at the Adelphi Theatre from 14 October, with an opening night on 29 October, until 9 January 2027.

Set in East Germany in 1984, the story follows a writer and an actor placed under state surveillance, as a Stasi officer listens from the attic above their apartment. The original film, released in 2006, received multiple awards, including the Academy Award for Best International Film, the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language and the César Award for Best Foreign Film.

Tickets are on sale from £25, with over 36,000 seats across the run priced at £35 or under, accounting for more than 25% of available tickets.

The production marks a renewed collaboration between Icke and Sonia Friedman following previous work including Oedipus, Manhunt, Hamlet, The Doctor, Oresteia and 1984. It also reunites Knightley and Friedman after The Children’s Hour.

The creative team includes designer Hildegard Bechtler, lighting designer Jon Clark, sound designer Giles Thomas and composer Max Richter, who has written original music for the production.

Further casting is to be announced.

Producer Sonia Friedman commented, “I’ve been obsessed with The Lives of Others ever since I first saw it – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s exquisite, haunting, and completely masterful film, and there is no one better than Robert Icke to bring this to life onstage. He has this rare ability to combine huge ideas with real emotional truth, and I know he and the company will find a way to realise it that feels both unexpected and completely thrilling.

“Set in East Berlin in 1984 – a world where nothing is private, every word carries consequence, and the state holds power not just over lives, but over thought, speech and imagination itself, this world premiere is a reminder of how fragile those freedoms are, and of the cost and courage required to hold on to them.

“What I love most about it is that it’s both epic and intimate – incredibly beautiful, sad, and deeply moving – and at its heart, it’s an unlikely story about kindness. A story about connection and compassion in the most unexpected places.

“To have a company led by Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane and Luke Thompson at the Adelphi Theatre this autumn makes it all the more special. And in an extraordinary coup, we’re incredibly excited that Max Richter will be composing new music for the production. Max is one of the great composers of our time, and his work has a depth and emotional truth that has the potential to break our hearts.

“I really can’t wait to share it with audiences.”