It’s had a long journey to the screen but at last we have our first look at the TV series The Man Who Fell to Earth. The upcoming series is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. But it has one major caveat: It follows a new alien who comes crashing down on earth. There isn’t too much to glean from the teaser, beyond giving us a lot of emotion and quick shows of people looking awed. Still, it possesses that sweeping energy that has us entranced. And Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is always the right choice.
So far, Showtime is keeping the full plot details under wraps, offering a simple description: “An alien who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future.” It’s stunning trailer teases exactly what’s at stake—the dire circumstances facing Faraday’s home planet and those he left behind as well as the Earth’s devastating fate if they don’t save it.
Ejiofor plays Faraday, the humanoid alien who crashes down on Earth. Naomie Harris is Justin Falls, who, per Showtime, is “a brilliant scientist and engineer who must conquer her own demons in the race to save two worlds.” While there’s still a lot we don’t know about the upcoming series we do know one thing for sure: it’s not a straight adaptation of the novel. So certainly not a redo of the 1976 film starring David Bowie. More so, it looks like the upcoming series is more of a continuation.
One thing we do know: Thomas Jerome Newton will appear in the upcoming series. Bill Nighy is inheriting the role from the late rocker. This confirms our original suspicions that in this timeline Faraday is not the first alien to touch down on Earth. But more than that, according to Deadline, where we first saw this, Newton himself summoned Faraday. Here’s what to expect from Newton 40 years later: “Alone and desperate, Newton summons Faraday to complete his original mission. But Newton’s time marooned among human beings has cost him everything, possibly even his sanity.”
Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet developed The Man Who Fell to Earth TV series and serve as showrunners and executive producers. The series also stars Jimmi Simpson, Clarke Peters, Rob Delaney, Joana Ribeiro and Annelle Olaleye.
The series was initially set for Hulu, but shifted to Paramount+—then known as CBS All Access—after a series of production disagreements that emerged after Disney’s purchased Fox. But Showtime, who shares a parent company with Paramount+, is the show’s final home.
Showtime hasn’t specified a release date for The Man Who Fell to Earth TV series yet. However, it arrives later this Spring.
Originally published on January 19, 2021.
