The Man Who Fell To Earth Trailer: Chiwetel Ejiofor Plays A Very Special Visitor

Showtime has released the official trailer for "The Man Who Fell to Earth," and it looks like it's going to be riveting. Not that I wouldn't say that for most things that Chiwetel Ejiofor is in. The man has a powerful ability to make me forget anything going on around me and just focus on his performance. He isn't the only one; this series has a cast packed with stars, including Naomie Harris, Jimmi Simpson, Rob Delaney, Sonya Cassidy, Joana Ribeiro, Annelle Olaleye, Kate Mulgrew, Clarke Peters and Bill Nighy.

"The Man Who Fell to Earth" is inspired by the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, and the subsequent 1976 film starring David Bowie, which is considered a cult classic. This time around the story is being told in an episodic TV format, which seems to me a great idea. There is a lot to explore here, as there was in the novel and the film, and a series will give us that time. 

Not only that, but (and this might be a spoiler if you haven't read anything about the film yet, so read forward with caution or skip past the trailer), Bill Nighy is playing the role of Jerome Newton, which is the role that Bowie played.

Executive producer Jenny Lumet told EW back in December that this version of "The Man Who Fell To Earth" will be a more hopeful piece than the original, saying:

"I believe in human beings, and I wanted to write about human beings pulling it out, stepping up, and making it through. Because we're pretty cool species. And I believe that if a spaceman came to Earth, he would see all our shenanigans and he would say, 'Wait a minute, you guys are capable of some really beautiful stuff.'"

Showtime will release the first two episodes of "The Man Who Fell to Earth" on April 24, 2022 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Here is the official synopsis:

Inspired by the Walter Tevis novel of the same name and the iconic David Bowie film, "The Man Who Fell to Earth" will follow a new alien character (Ejiofor) who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future. Harris plays Justin Falls, a brilliant scientist and engineer who must conquer her own demons in the race to save two worlds.