Chiwetel Ejiofor to play The Man Who Fell To Earth in new TV show for Paramount+

Paramount+, the highly anticipated streaming service from ViacomCBS, today announced Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave,” “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind”) will star in the Paramount+ Original Series The Man Who Fell To Earth, based on the Walter Tevis novel of the same name and the iconic film starring David Bowie. THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH will follow a new alien character who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future.

Thomas Jerome Newton is an extraterrestrial from the planet Anthea, which has been devastated by a series of nuclear wars, and whose inhabitants are twice as intelligent as human beings. When he lands on Earth – in Kentucky, disguised as a human – it’s with the intention of saving his own people from extinction. Newton patents some very advanced Anthean technology, which he uses to amass a fortune. He begins to build a spaceship to help the last 300 Antheans migrate to Earth. Meanwhile, Nathan Bryce, a chemistry professor in Iowa, is intrigued by some of the new products Newton’s company brings to the market, and already suspects Newton of being an alien. As Bryce and the FBI close in, Newton finds his own clarity and sense of purpose diminishing.

“Chiwetel Ejiofor’s stage and film career are staggering in their bravery, commitment and quality,” said Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet, co-showrunners and executive producers. “He’s everything we could imagine and a million things we can’t. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Actor, writer and director Chiwetel Ejiofor is renowned for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in “12 Years a Slave,” for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He wrote, directed and was featured in the 2019 Netflix success “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” and is also known for his extensive catalogue of performances in films including “Dirty Pretty Things”, “Kinky Boots”, “The Martian”, “Doctor Strange”, “American Gangster”, “Children of Men” and “Love Actually”. Ejiofor is also widely regarded as one of the leading theatre actors of his generation.

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 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.

The series will debut on Paramount+, ViacomCBS’ upcoming global streaming platform. ViacomCBS’ existing subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, CBS All Access, will be rebranded as Paramount+ in early 2021 as part of the service’s expansion to feature content from ViacomCBS’ leading portfolio of broadcast, news, sports and entertainment brands. ViacomCBS will also bring Paramount+ to international markets with an initial debut in Australia, Latin America and the Nordics in 2021.

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