Bill Nighy to play David Bowie role in The Man Who Fell To Earth reboot

Virgin Radio

4 Feb 2022, 14:25

The classic sci-fi movie, which saw Bowie play an alien posing as a human, is being made into a TV series, and it’s just been announced that Bill Nighy will be stepping into the role.

It seems that the series will act as a sequel to the 1976 film, which itself was based on Walter Tevis’ 1963 novel of the same name. In the new production, Nighy will play an older version of Bowie’s character, Thomas Jerome Newton, the first alien to arrive on earth over 40 years ago. He will be joined by BAFTA winner Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Rob Delaney (Catrastrophe), and Naomie Harris (Moonlight), who will play a brilliant scientist and engineer. Emmy nominee Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Prodigy, Orange Is the New Black) will also star.

The synopsis of the new series says: “Alone and desperate, Newton summons Faraday (Ejiofor) to complete his original mission. But Newton's time marooned among human beings has cost him everything, possibly even his sanity.”

Ejiofor’s arrival on Earth comes at a turning point in human evolution, and he must confront his own past to determine our future.

In a statement to Deadline, Love Actually star Nighy said: “I was honoured to be invited to play the part of Thomas Jerome Newton.” 

He continued: “I was keen to work with Chiwetel and Naomie again. I think the story is terrific and brilliantly expressed. I am an enthusiast for shows which extrapolate from current technology and give us plausible glimpses of a possible near future. It’s an important story which, as well as being highly entertaining, discusses the crucial issues of our time.”

The new show has been in the pipeline for a while, having first been announced in 2019 with showrunners Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet and John Hlavin. “You can't think of the film without thinking of David Bowie," said Kurtzman (via EW).

“And it was a radically daunting prospect to stand in his shadow. His legacy is very meaningful to people, and that was not something to play around with lightly. The hubris of even choosing to do that could take you down."

Another version of the movie was also recently announced, in the form of a graphic novel.