As you’re no doubt aware, we at COMET love us some old school science-fiction — especially when it’s obscure. Which is why we’re excited to hear that obscure old school science-fiction movie The Man Who Fell to Earth is getting rebooted as a new TV series.
The new series will draw from both the 1976 film starring David Bowie and the original 1963 novel by Walter Tevis. According to Collider, the new 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.” The series is being produced for CBS All Access, and like the network’s Star Trek offerings, it will be shepherded by Alex Kurtzman, who will direct the series as well as write and act as its co-showrunner alongside Star Trek: Discovery producer Jenny Lumet and John Hlavin. In a statement, Kurtzman and Lumet compared Bowie’s character in the original film to Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, and stated their intention to update the project for the modern era as we look toward the future.
“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. 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.”
No word yet on when the new series will air, but it will be interesting to see who will replace David Bowie as the titular alien — though we’re not sure anyone could ever match his otherworldly performance.
