Bradley Cooper's return to the Broadway stage in The Elephant Man has been delayed by a month due to scheduling conflicts.

The American Hustle star is set to reprise his role of severely deformed John Merrick in the play, which is based on the real life story of Brit Joseph Merrick, marking his first stint on the Great White Way in eight years.

However, a spokesman for the producers tells the New York Times that the production, which was slated to begin previews in October (14), has been pushed back to November (14) because of a scheduling conflict. No further details have been given.

The show will officially open on 7 December (14) and the original 13-week run has now been extended to 14 weeks.

Cooper previously starred in The Elephant Man at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts in 2012, and he was last seen on Broadway in 2006, when he co-starred with Julia Roberts in Three Days of Rain.