SHOWTIME announced today that Oscar, BAFTA(R), Screen Actors Guild(R), and Golden Globe(R) Award nominee Naomie Harris (Moonlight) will star in the highly anticipated upcoming original drama series THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH. Harris will play Justin Falls, a brilliant scientist and engineer who must conquer her own demons in the race to save two worlds. The series, also starring Oscar and Emmy(R) nominee and BAFTA Award winner Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), is scheduled to begin production in London this spring and will premiere exclusively on SHOWTIME in 2022. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, Presidents of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.
Based on the Walter Tevis novel of the same name and the iconic film that starred David Bowie, 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. Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet are writing and executive producing the series and executive producer John Hlavin will serve as showrunners. Kurtzman will also direct multiple episodes of the series. Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, and Heather Kadin are also executives producing.
“To be working with an actor of Naomie’s caliber is an absolute dream,” said Kurtzman, Lumet, and Hlavin. “Her strength, her complexity, and her bold artistic choices are an inspiration. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have her on board.”
Harris recently wrapped production on the feature film Swan Song, re-teaming her with Moonlight co-star, Mahershala Ali. She will next be seen in Venom 2 and will reprise her role as Eve Moneypenny in the upcoming Bond film No Time to Die. Harris was nominated for Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe awards for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress for her work in the Oscar-winning feature film Moonlight. She previously earned a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination. Her numerous film and television credits include Spectre and Skyfall from the James Bond franchise, The Third Day, Rampage, Collateral Beauty, Southpaw, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, 28 Days Later, and The Tomorrow People.
