CBS All Access has given a series order to a TV adaptation of Walter Tevis’ 1963 novel The Man Who Fell to Earth, which was previously brought to the big screen in 1976 with Nicolas Roeg directing David Bowie.
As per Variety, the series “will follow 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 (Star Trek: Discovery) has created the series with Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married) and the duo will serve as co-showrunners, with Kurtzman also directing.
“Some strings will connect to both the novel and the film but if you haven’t seen the film or haven’t read the novel, it’s fine,” Kurtzman told Variety, revealing that the series will explore “the next chapter” of the story in the book and movie. “You’ll get to have an experience that’s entirely singular. If you have, you’ll have the benefit of understanding the history of the world that both of those things set up.”
“It’s a globe-hopping show,” he continued. “It’s the story of an alien who travels the world to understand who we are as a species. Just from a pure production point of view, that’s not something we want to rush…This is something that needs to be done right which means it doesn’t need to be done fast.”
If all things go to plan, The Man Who Fell to Earth will look to air on CBS All Access in late 2020 or early 2021.
