Get Ready to Fall For THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, a New Story With a Familiar Name Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Early in the first episode of SHOWTIME’s THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, a policewoman played by Martha Plimpton is interviewing an alien played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Of course, the policewoman has no idea that she’s trying to communicate with an alien. But she senses he is having a bit of a language issue. “When did you learn to speak English?” she asks. “Now,” the alien replies. He is not lying. The alien is literally picking up English on the fly, and many other things about human behaviour as well – both good and bad. To say that he’s a quick learner is an understatement, but the process is not immediate, which leads to some funny moments. But to be clear, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH – which debuts Sunday, April 24, only on Crave – is not a comedy in the grand scheme. Starring OSCAR® nominees Ejiofor and Naomie Harris, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH is based on the 1963 Walter Tevis novel of the same name, and the 1976 film that starred David Bowie (and is available on STARZ), but it’s not a remake. Rather, it is being referred to as a “next step” in the story, focused on Ejiofor’s new alien character. The alien crashes into the remote oilfields of New Mexico with a desperate mission: to find a woman named Justin Falls, played by Harris. She’s a brilliant scientist; or at least, she was, until the circumstances of life dragged her down. But now, apparently, she is the only person who can help the alien save his species, and hers as well. Besides Ejiofor and Harris, the stellar cast is rounded out by Jimmi Simpson, Rob Delaney, Sonya Cassidy, Joana Ribeiro, Annelle Olaleye, Kate Mulgrew, Clarke Peters, and Bill Nighy. “The book is extraordinary in so many ways because it’s a science fiction book in which the science fiction is really off to the side,” said co-creator, executive producer, and director Alex Kurtzman (STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, STAR TREK: PICARD, STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS) in a virtual panel interview. “And I would actually go a step further and say that (director) Nicolas Roeg made a film that was in many ways an homage to the book, and took a lot of things from the book, but really was its own thing as well. The common denominator between both of those beautiful works is this tremendous sense of loneliness and isolation, and what it means to be a human being, and how we find connection with other people.” So it’s fair to say that Kurtzman felt a pretty big sense of responsibility tackling a project with this name and pedigree. Of course, he’s used to that kind of thing, with his work in the STAR TREK universe. “I think we felt a tremendous debt to honour the legacy of David Bowie, and Walter Tevis, and Nicolas Roeg, and of all the people who built these extraordinary stories, because they clearly wrenched their hearts open to tell them,” Kurtzman said. “We felt the only way to do this authentically and honestly was to do the same.” As for Ejiofor, playing an alien in these circumstances was a real actor’s playground, despite the barren physical landscape. “We decided just in the nature of the show that he would have some trajectory,” Ejiofor explained. “That is, he would be faster than us, quicker in his alacrity and ability to understand, and learn language, and communicate, but not sort of instantaneous. So there would be a kind of journey for him, and that’s what we are witnessing. Eventually he actually becomes quite rich at being able to mimic, and then sort of internalize. So his development as a human is very multifaceted, and sort of a central part of the story.” Ultimately, though, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH is a story about survival, and what needs to be done to achieve it. As the alien says in a dark warning to Justin Falls: “When the clouds disappear, you all disappear. You have very little time left.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv