The Elephant Man (film) The Elephant Man (film) The Elephant Man is a 1980 American historical drama film about Joseph Merrick (whom the script calls John Merrick), a severely deformed man in late 19th century London. The film was directed by David Lynch and stars John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon, and Freddie Jones. It was produced by Jonathan Sanger and Mel Brooks, the latter of whom was intentionally left uncredited to avoid confusion from audiences who possibly would have expected a comedy. The screenplay was adapted by Lynch, Christopher De Vore, and Eric Bergren from
The Elephant Man (film) is going to be used over and over and over again in the future...And every time it’s used in a movie it’s going to diminish the effect of the scene." When Lynch and Sanger screened "The Elephant Man" for Brooks after they returned from England with a cut, Brooks suggested some minor cuts but told them that the film would be released as they made it. There had been a play about Merrick on Broadway called "The Elephant Man", which was enjoying a successful run on Broadway at the time of the film's production. The producers sued Brooksfilms over the