Things We Saw Today: Chiwetel Ejiofor Is ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’

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Showtime has released the first teaser trailer for their upcoming science fiction series ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’, which stars Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Doctor Strange) as Faraday, an alien struggling to find his purpose after crash landing on Earth. The series is based on Walter Tevis’s eponymous 1963 novel, which was later adapted into the 1976 British science fiction cult film starring David Bowie and directed by Nicolas Roeg. The new series hails from Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek) and Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married), and also stars Naomie Harris (28 Days Later, Skyfall) as a scientist Faraday seeks out.

The synopsis for the series reads, “An alien who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future.” Joining Ejiofor and Harris are Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Clarke Peters (Da 5 Bloods), Rob Delaney (Deadpool 2), and Kate Mulgrew (Orange is the New Black).

An engaging and cerebral science fiction series is a difficult needle to thread. Shows like Foundation and Raised by Wolves struggled to find an audience thanks to impenetrable plot points and a pervasive coldness that prevents relatability. But I have faith in Kurtzman, who shepherded Star Trek: Discovery and Picard for CBS All Access (now Paramount+).

“One thing that I really responded to was the loneliness of [Bowie’s] character in both the novel and the film,” Kurtzman said. “They’re about this extraordinary loneliness, and how human loneliness can ultimately destroy you. I loved that feeling in the work that had been made, [but] it was not the story that I wanted to tell, and it was not the story that Jenny wanted to tell. We were interested in integrating that loneliness, but I think we wanted to tell a story that’s ultimately much more uplifting.”

Lumet added, “I believe in human beings, and I wanted to write about human beings pulling it out, stepping up, and making it through. Because we’re pretty cool species. And I believe that if a spaceman came to Earth, he would see all our shenanigans and he would say, ‘Wait a minute, you guys are capable of some really beautiful stuff.’”

The Man Who Fell to Earth premieres on Showtime in 2022.

(via Entertainment Weekly, image: screencap/Showtime)

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