Chiwetel Ejiofor to follow David Bowie as The Man Who Fell to Earth in new Paramount+ series
By Tyler Aquilina
February 06, 2021 at 11:24 AM EST
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Chiwetel Ejiofor is going out of this world for his next project.
The Locked Down actor will star in The Man Who Fell to Earth, a new series for Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) based on the 1963 novel by The Queen's Gambit author Walter Tevis as well as the 1976 film starring David Bowie.
Co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet are writing the series, which will follow an alien who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must grapple with his own past to determine our future. Kurtzman will also direct.
"Chiwetel Ejiofor's stage and film career are staggering in their bravery, commitment and quality," Kurtzman and Lumet said in a statement. "He's everything we could imagine and a million things we can't. We couldn't be more thrilled."
Directed by Nicolas Roeg, the 1976 film starred Bowie, in his first major screen role, as an alien stranded on Earth who falls into despair and alcoholism. The film retains a cult following, with the character becoming something of a signature role for Bowie.
Ejiofor, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance in 12 Years a Slave, will also appear in Antoine Fuqua's upcoming sci-fi film Infinite, as well as the Marvel sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, reprising his role as Karl Mordo.
By Tyler Aquilina
February 06, 2021 at 11:24 AM EST
×
Chiwetel Ejiofor is going out of this world for his next project.
The Locked Down actor will star in The Man Who Fell to Earth, a new series for Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) based on the 1963 novel by The Queen's Gambit author Walter Tevis as well as the 1976 film starring David Bowie.
Co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet are writing the series, which will follow an alien who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must grapple with his own past to determine our future. Kurtzman will also direct.
"Chiwetel Ejiofor's stage and film career are staggering in their bravery, commitment and quality," Kurtzman and Lumet said in a statement. "He's everything we could imagine and a million things we can't. We couldn't be more thrilled."
Directed by Nicolas Roeg, the 1976 film starred Bowie, in his first major screen role, as an alien stranded on Earth who falls into despair and alcoholism. The film retains a cult following, with the character becoming something of a signature role for Bowie.
Ejiofor, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance in 12 Years a Slave, will also appear in Antoine Fuqua's upcoming sci-fi film Infinite, as well as the Marvel sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, reprising his role as Karl Mordo.
