The new take on the 1963 novel by Walter Nevis also stars Naomie Harris.
Updated 22/02/22: Showtime have landed a full trailer for The Man Who Fell to Earth ahead of its April launch.
The promo, which runs for over two minutes gives us a better feel for the show and offers a first look at Bill Nighy as Thomas Newton.
We also see what appear to be flashbacks to Faraday’s family and the destruction of his world, framing the importance of his mission. Plus Rob Delaney and Kate Mulgrew too!
The show airs in the US on Showtime, beginning with a double-episode drop on the Sunday, 24th of April. Unfortunately, there’s no news of a UK broadcaster yet. However, with the star talent involved, that must surely come soon!
Original Article
We are big fans of Chiwetel Ejiofor here at CultBox Towers, from his turn as The Operative in Serenity to the charismatic Louis Lester in Stephen Poliakoff’s Dancing on the Edge. Then there’s his moving directorial debut The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind and we’ve not even mentioned Baron Mordo yet!
Suffice to say our heads have been turned by the teaser trailer for The Man Who Fell To Earth. Despite it’s adaptation from 1963 novel, most will doubtless know the name from Nicholas Roeg’s 1976 movie, starring David Bowie.
Although it’s a brief trailer, it certainly teases the scope and global implications of the show:
In The Man Who Fell To Earth, Ejiofor plays Faraday, an alien who attempts to understand his purpose after landing on Earth. Naomie Harris is Justin Falls, the human he comes into contact with.
There’s a wider cast with some familiar names too; Sonya Cassidy, Rob Delaney (Catastrophe), Josh Herdman, Annelle Olayele, Clarke Peters, Jimmi Simpson (Westworld) and Star Trek Voyager‘s Kate Mulgrew will also appear.
Originally set up at Paramount+, The Man Who Fell To Earth jumped to Showtime last March. It’s run by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet, both of whom have been involved in the various recent incarnations of Star Trek. They also ran the The Silence of the Lambs spin-off Clarice.
Provocative drama
Speaking to Deadline, Showtime’s President of Entertainment Jana Winograde said:
“This provocative drama, beautifully written by Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet and John Hlavin harkens to the original film but feels reborn in capturing the themes of modern culture while challenging our assumptions of human nature. Chiwetel Ejiofor is a mesmerizing actor who draws you in with every action, thought and emotion, and he will be a phenomenal force igniting this journey.”
Frankly, we can’t wait!
With the show due to premiere in the spring, we look forward to finding out more soon.