‘A privilege – and pretty terrifying’: James Norton to play Hamlet in the West End

James Norton will play Hamlet in London in autumn 2027. Photograph: Silvana Trevale/The Guardian

James Norton is to take on his first major Shakespearean stage role and play Hamlet in the West End next year.

The King & Conqueror star said it was a “privilege” and “pretty terrifying” to be cast as the tragic prince in the acclaimed German director Thomas Ostermeier’s production next autumn. Norton was last on stage in 2023 in the harrowing A Little Life, based on Hanya Yanagihara’s novel, which the actor described as the hardest thing he has ever done.