David Bowie in 1976's The Man Who Fell to Earth. Image : British Lion Films

CBS All Access has made its name pumping out Star Trek content, but the streaming service has another sci-fi series in the pipeline: an adaptation of Walter Tevis’ sci-fi novel The Man Who Fell to Earth, which was previously made into a 1976 film by Nicolas Roeg, memorably starring David Bowie.




That doesn’t mean the new series will be completely divested from CBS All Access’ bread and butter. As Deadline reports, Star Trek: Discovery showrunner and CBS Star Trek architect-in-residence Alex Kurtzman will somehow find the time in his schedule to write, executive produce, direct, and co-showrun (with co-writer Jenny Lumet, a fellow Star Trek: Discovery exec producer) The Man Who Fell to Earth.


Here’s a statement Kurtzman and Lumet released to Deadline and other outlets about their new show:

“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 impact on our world,” Kurtzman and Lumet said in a statement. “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.”

Speaking at the streaming service’s Television Critics’ Association presentation, CBS All Access’ Julie McNamara said, per Deadline:

“We are thrilled to add another iconic genre favorite to our line-up as we expand original programming on CBS All Access,” said McNamara. “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.”


Deadline adds that Kurtzman and Lumet’s pilot script is already written, and the show aims to have a writers’ room up and running in September. Beyond that there’s no word on when this newly-ordered series will be making it to CBS All Access—which, in addition to its many Treks, is also home to Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone—but we’ll be keeping an eye out for more.

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