Chiwetel Ejiofor will star in Paramount+’s upcoming adaptation of “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”
The series is based on Walter Tevis’ 1963 novel, which was adapted for a 1973 film that starred David Bowie. “The Man Who Fell to Earth” follows an alien who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future.
Alex Kurtzman and “Star Trek: Discovery” vet Jenny Lumet will both write and serve as showrunners, with Kurtzman directing. The project is a co-production between CBS TV Studios, where Kurtzman has an overall deal, and Tandem Productions, a division of StudioCanal, which owns the rights to both the book and the film.
In the first adaptation, Bowie starred as the alien Thomas Jerome Newton in the Nicolas Roeg-directed film; it was Bowie’s first starring film role. Kurtzman had previously told TheWrap that the new version would not be a straight remake, rather a sequel; for starters, Ejiofor will play a different alien than the one Bowie played in the original film.
“Chiwetel Ejiofor’s stage and film career are staggering in their bravery, commitment and quality,” said Kurtzman and Lumet, co-showrunners and executive producers. “He’s everything we could imagine and a million things we can’t. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”
John Hlavin, Rola Bauer, Tim Halkin, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Heather Kadin will also serve as executive producers, and Aaron Baiers will serve as co-executive producer.
CBS All Access to formally change over to Paramount+ on March 4.
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