Home TV News CBS All Access Orders Adaptation Of ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’

CBS All Access Orders Adaptation Of ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’

by Dave Elliott
CBS All Access Orders Adaptation Of 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'

CBS All Access Orders Adaptation Of ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’

CBS All Access has handed a series order to an adaptation Of The Man Who Fell To Earth, based on the Walter Tevis novel of the same name and the iconic film starring David Bowie.

‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’ 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.

The series comes from Alex Kurtzman, the boss of all things ‘Star Trek’ at CBS, and Jenny Lumet, co-exec producer and writer on ‘Star Trek: Discovery’. The duo will serve as co-showrunners alongside executive producer John Hlavin (‘Shooter’, ‘Blood Drive’). Kurtzman will also direct.

“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,” commented Kurtzman and Lumet. “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.”

Rola Bauer, Tim Halkin, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Heather Kadin will also serve as executive producers, and Aaron Baiers will serve as co-executive producer. 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 film.

“We are thrilled to add another iconic genre favourite to our lineup as we expand original programming on CBS All Access,” adds Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President, Original Content, CBS All Access. “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.”

The original Tevis novel was first published in 1963 and has been adapted a couple of times before. The most well-known version is the Nicolas Roeg directed 1976 film starring David Bowie, which is seen as a cult classic. In 1987 there was also a made for tv movie by ABC which saw Lewis Smith taking the title role.

“I’ve been a fan of this extraordinary film starring David Bowie for years,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “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.”

The Man Who Fell To Earth will premiere on CBS All Access in the US, presumably in 2020. No news yet on a UK broadcaster, but we’ll let you know when we hear something.

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