Chiwetel Ejiofor is set to star as The Man Who Fell to Earth for Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access).
The Doctor Strange actor will take on the role David Bowie played in Nicolas Roeg's 1976 sci-fi classic, which was an adaptation of Walter Tevis' novel about an alien who comes to Earth in search of a way to get water to his dying planet, only to find himself at the mercy of human vices and corruption.
It sounds like this new take on the material may differ in some respects, however, with Ejiofor's character arriving "on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future."
The series was first announced as being in development back in 2019, and has Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet on board as co-writers and co-showrunners. Kurtzman will direct. Rola Bauer, Tim Halkin, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Heather Kadin will also serve as executive producers.
“Chiwetel Ejiofor’s stage and film career are staggering in their bravery, commitment, and quality,” said Kurtzman and Lumet. “He’s everything we could imagine and a million things we can’t. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”
The Academy-award nominated 12 Years a Slave star is expected to reprise the role of Mordo for Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.