Based on the Nicolas Roeg sci-fi classic, Showtime’s The Man Who Fell to Earth serves as a continuation of the film that starred David Bowie. This time Chiwetel Ejiofor arrives on Earth to complete a mission from the same home world as Thomas Jerome Newton, who arrived decades before. Bill Nighy takes over the role of Thomas, as originated by Bowie, the alien who failed in his mission to send water back to his planet in order to save it.
The new trailer for the sci-fi drama gives a grounded look at the series which unfolds over a desert landscape with glimpses of the alien life at stake, warning that Earth is in line to follow suit. But it also reveals Ejiofor’s alien, Faraday, on his true mission: to find Newton, who arrived on the planet decades beforehand, and what happens when Farady finds himself making contact with both humanity and a member of his own kind.
Previous to this series, David Bowie’s Lazarus served as a musical stage adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth, starring Dexter’s Michael C. Hall, Palm Springs’ Cristin Milioti, and Sophia Anne Caruso (Broadway’s Beetlejuice). It was one of the legendary artist’s final works which incorporated his music into the the fabric of Walter Tevis’ original story, something Roeg and Bowie intended but weren’t able to secure for the film. The show’s opening was the final public appearance of Bowie’s before leaving this Earth in 2016.
Naomie Harris and Jimmi Simpson also lead the ensemble alongside Ejiofor and Nighy; the rest of the cast also includes Rob Delaney, Sonya Cassidy, Joana Ribeiro, Annelle Olaleye, Star Trek: Voyager’s Kate Mulgrew, and Clarke Peters, while Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet serve as executive producers and co-showrunners.
The Man Who Fell to Earth is set to begin on Showtime starting April 24.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.