CBS All Access Falls to Earth with Alex Kurtzman & Jenny Lumet
CBS All Access has announced plans to develop a new adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth, based on the novel by Walter Tevis. Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet will serve as showrunners.
The series, which also will draw from the 1976 movie starring David Bowie, follows an alien who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine humanity’s future. Kurtzman will also direct and executive produce along with Lumet and John Hlavin. Kurtzman and Lumet will write the series.
“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,” said 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.”
“We are thrilled to add another iconic genre favorite to our lineup as we expand original programming on CBS All Access,” said 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.”
“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 series was originally in development at Hulu, but the streaming service opted not to move forward with production. According to Variety, CBS aggressively pursued the project once the rights were again in play.
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 the book and the film.
Kurtzman tells Variety that this series will explore the next chapter of the story from the book. “Some strings will connect to both the novel and the film but if you haven’t seen the film or haven’t read the novel, it’s fine,” he says. “You’ll get to have an experience that’s entirely singular. If you have, you’ll have the benefit of understanding the history of the world that both of those things set up.”
The writers’ room will start work in September, and Kurtzman says the plan is to have the series on the air by the end of 2020 or early 2021. “It’s a globe-hopping show,” he said. “It’s the story of an alien who travels the world to understand who we are as a species. Just from a pure production point of view, that’s not something we want to rush…This is something that needs to be done right which means it doesn’t need to be done fast.”
