CBS All Access has officially given a series order for Star Trek: Discovery creator Alex Kurtzman’s upcoming reboot series adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth, which will be based on legendary music icon David Bowie’s 1976 cult classic film of the same name. Kurtzman will also serve a the series’ showrunner and executive producer along with Jenny Lumet and John Hlavin.
“We are thrilled to add another iconic genre favorite to our lineup as we expand original programming on CBS All Access,” CBS All Access’ Executive Vice President of Original Content Julie McNamara said. “We know this series will capture the soul and spirit of the source material and further push narrative boundaries in the capable hands of Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet and the entire producing team.”
CBS Television Studious president David Stapf added, “I’ve been a fan of this extraordinary film starring David Bowie for years. While no one can ever hope to surpass Bowie, bringing the film to series will allow for an ongoing detailed and nuanced exploration of the concepts established in the novel.”
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The Man Who Fell to Earth will follow the story of an alien who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future. The reboot will be co-written by Kurtzman and Lumet with Kurtzman also set to direct.
The original film was based on author Walter Tevis’ science fiction novel of the same name. It was directed by Nicolas Roeg from a screenplay written by Paul Mayersberg. The film was David Bowie’s first starring role in a feature film.
“Walter Tevis’ visionary novel gave us a tech god Willy Wonka from another planet, brought to life by David Bowie’s legendary performance, that foretold Steve Jobs’ and Elon Musk’s impacts on our world,” Kurtzman and Lumet said. “The series will imagine the next step in our evolution, seen through the eyes of an alien who must learn what it means to become human, even as he fights for the survival of his species.”
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In addition to Kurtzman, Lumet and Hlavin, The Man Who Fell to Earth series will also be executive produced by Rola Bauer, Tim Halkin, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, Heather Kadin and Aaron Baiers.
The series will be co-produced by CBS Television Studios and TANDEM Productions, a STUDIOCANAL Company, in association with Secret Hideout and Timberman/Beverly. STUDIOCANAL owns the rights for both Walter Tevis’ book as well as the iconic Nicolas Roeg film with David Bowie.
