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Chiwetel Ejiofor plays an alien named Faraday in Man Who Fell to Earth trailer

    Bill Nighy, Naomie Harris and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in The Man Who Fell to EarthShowtime’s new series, based on a 1963 novel.

    Showtime has released the official trailer for the upcoming new sci-fi series, The man who fell to earth starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as an alien who comes to Earth in hopes of saving the humans on his home planet. It’s a bold move, as the series is based on the classic 1963 novel by Walter Tevis, which already spawned an iconic film adaptation starring rock star David Bowie.

    (Spoilers for the 1963 novel and 1976 film below.)

    Tevis’ novel tells the story of a humanoid alien from a planet called Anthea, who is suffering from severe drought. Under the name Thomas Jerome Newton, the alien travels to Earth in hopes of transporting the remains of its people to our sodden orb. Thomas patents a lot of advanced alien technology from his own planet and makes a fortune, with plans to use that wealth to build spaceships for his people. He finds a friend and ally in a fuel technician named Nathan Bryce.

    Thomas also earns the love of a woman named Betty Jo, although he does not reciprocate her feelings. It is Betty Jo who introduces him to sex and alcohol, to which he becomes addicted. Eventually, Bryce discovers that his friend is an alien, and while Thomas is initially relieved that someone knows his secret, the CIA and FBI have been tracking him since his arrival on Earth. He is imprisoned and subjected to many invasive tests, one of which leaves him permanently blind. Unable to complete his mission, Thomas records one last message to send to his home planet before giving in completely to the drink.

    The late David Bowie starred in the 1976 film adaptation.
    enlarge † The late David Bowie starred in the 1976 film adaptation.

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    The Man Who Fell to Earth is quite the tragedy of existential loneliness and alcoholism. So filmmaker Nicolas Roeg’s decision to cast rock star David Bowie as Thomas in the director’s 1976 film adaptation was inspired in hindsight. Bowie already had an alien, androgynous appearance and was candid in a 1983 interview about inhaling a good 10 grams of cocaine a day during filming: “I was out of this earth at the time.” Roeg’s film followed the basic plot of the novel while adding his own signature artistic touch to the project, and the film received mostly positive reviews upon release. It’s now considered a science fiction cult classic (with good reason) and one of Roeg’s best work.

    Developed and written by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet, this new TV adaptation began as a project for Hulu before moving to CBS All Access (which has since been incorporated into Paramount+). Showtime will broadcast the series in the US, while Paramount+ will air the series internationally. According to the official logline, “The Man Who Fell to Earth will follow a new alien character (Ejiofor) who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future.”

    Chiwetel Ejiofor plays an alien named Faraday who comes to Earth - a deviation from the source material.
    enlarge † Chiwetel Ejiofor plays an alien named Faraday who comes to Earth – a deviation from the source material.

    YouTube/Showtime

    The TV adaptation introduces some obvious departures from the source material, starting with Ejiofor’s character, an alien named Faraday. Bill Nighy plays Thomas Jerome Newton, the character Bowie played. (He even has a similar dashing hat.) “I brought you here to finish what I started,” Thomas tells Faraday, indicating that this is some sort of sequel rather than a straightforward adaptation. Earth is on the same trajectory as their dying planet. “This is how we all survive,” Thomas insists. But there are still people who would rather take out the aliens than work with them for mutual assured survival.

    Naomie Harris stars as Justin Falls, described as “a brilliant scientist and engineer who must overcome her own demons in the race to save two worlds.” She has a young son and their relationship with Faraday is reminiscent of… The day the earth stood still† (That’s an element that may have been borrowed from the largely forgettable 1987 TV version of The Man Who Fell to Earth.) The cast also includes west world‘s Jimmi Simpson as Spencer Clay; Rob Delaney as Hatch Flood; Sonya Cassidy as Edie Flood; Joana Ribeiro as Lisa Dominguez; Annelle Olaleye as Molly Falls; Josh Herdman as Terry; and Kate Mulgrew as Drew Finch.

    Bill Nighy plays an older version of Thomas Jerome Newton, the character once played by David Bowie.
    enlarge † Bill Nighy plays an older version of Thomas Jerome Newton, the character once played by David Bowie.

    YouTube/Showtime

    The Man Who Fell to Earth debuts on Showtime in the US and on Paramount+ internationally on April 24, 2022.

    List image by YouTube/Showtime