Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

Star Trek supremo Alex Kurtzman will have another show on CBS All Access – staying in the genre, but away from the final frontier.

The Man Who Fell to Earth has been ordered by the streaming service, based on the Walter Tevis novel and Nic Roeg’s 1976 movie starring David Bowie. The pilot, written by Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet, does not feature Bowie’s character from the film, but instead focuses on a new alien character who arrives on Earth at a critical point.

“He is truly unique and strange,” Kurtzman said at the TCAs. Lumet noted “He introduces technology that evolves us and has to be dealing with the consequences of that. What a better way of looking at human behaviour.”

Kurtzman added that they will be “getting to use this story template to do a deep dive on what it means to be a human being from the point of view of an alien who has no idea what love, human empathy and connection are.”

“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,” Kurtzman and Lumet stated in the official press release. “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 favourite 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.”

“Owning an iconic property like this is a privilege. Alex and Jenny’s voices take Tevis’ provocative vision of humanity and finds today’s pulse and relevance,” said Rola Bauer, Executive Producer and MD of STUDIOCANAL TV.

Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet will write and executive produce and serve as co-showrunners alongside executive producer John Hlavin. Kurtzman will also direct. Rola Bauer, Tim Halkin, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Heather Kadin will also serve as executive producers, and Aaron Baiers will serve as co-executive producer. 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 Walter Tevis’ book as well as the iconic Nicolas Roeg film with David Bowie.