Bradley Cooper signs on for 'The Elephant Man'

By Tomika Anderson, Special to CNN - This summer, Bradley Cooper is going to go from Sexiest Man to "The Elephant Man."

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Cooper - who was tapped last year as People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive - will transform himself into the gruesome character for the stage.

The production, which also stars Patricia Clarkson, will run from July 25 through August 5 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

"The Elephant Man" is about a severely deformed man named Joseph Merrick who became a famous figure in London society, and Cooper reportedly played the role as part of his senior thesis at the Actors Studio Drama School.

A 1980 film chronicling Merrick's real-life story, starring John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft, picked up eight Academy Award nominations - including one for best picture - following its release.