Showtime’s new series of shows The Man Who Fell to Earthcreated by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet, is the sequel to 1976 Films by Nicolas Roeg of the same name, starring David Bowie as an idealistic alien corrupted by human evils.
“We are just trying to honor [The Man Who Fell to Earth author Walter] Tevis and Bowie and Nicolas Roeg and great storytellers have come before us, but we also exist in a constant sequence of sci-fi storytelling,” Kurtzman said in Episode 513 of Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy audio file. “I want to believe that we can be at the forefront of what science fiction is today and what it will be.”
Star series Chiwetel Ejiofor as an alien from the planet Anthea who arrives on Earth 45 years after the events of the original film. Kurtzman and Ejiofor created a detailed backstory to portray a believable alien character. “We came up with the idea that their planet itself was too noisy — just the wind and everything going on — the destruction of the planet was so great that they couldn’t communicate verbally and they had to verbal communication”. Kurtzman said. “We ended up building the whole sign language they use to communicate and a very special way of moving together. So it was just a process of many and many training sessions. ”
In one memorable scene, the alien is found naked, choking on water from a garden hose that has trickled down a few steps down his throat. “It’s really just a shake-up of what they did in the novel and the movie, because he came to Earth to get water, because his planet is completely dehydrated,” says Kurtzman. “I think we took the spirit of that idea and interpreted it in our own way, that if you come from a planet that has no water but you need water, if suddenly water is everywhere, You may want to drink it all. time because you don’t take it for granted. ”
Another big influence is the physical comedy Buster Keaton, who is known for moving her body in unusual ways while keeping her face perfectly still. It wasn’t until filming was over that Kurtzman discovered that he was not alone in drawing inspiration from Keaton. “I found a set of photos taken on the ground The Man Who Fell to Earth— the original movie — and Bowie is sitting in his trailer, holding up Buster Keaton’s autobiography, with a big picture of Buster Keaton’s face on it, and he’s mimicking Buster’s face Keatons are next to each other,” Kurtzman said. “We haven’t even seen that yet, and somehow, osmotically, we’ve taken that out of his performance, it’s just unbelievable.”
Listen to the full interview with Alex Kurtzman in Episode 513 of Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy (above). And check out some highlights from the discussion below.
Alex Kurtzman on characteristics:
How many stories of “aliens come to Earth and then the government tries to grab them” can you tell, especially in an original way? We know we need [Jimmi Simpson] but I think what Jenny and I don’t want is to write this — hopefully — story about this beautiful character and then suddenly feel like when you go to the CIA, you’re in the middle of nowhere. Bourne’s identity. There will be only great tonal dissonance, which will not feel right. And so we asked, “How do we do this?” I often think the way to solve a problem like that is to say, “Okay, let’s forget the fact that they’re at the CIA. What makes them so interesting and engaging? ” And we had the idea, ‘What if he really was the lightest man in the world? What if he was both a total sadist and a total masochist, all at the same time? ”
Alex Kurtzman on fandom:
There is something interesting about what [the Black Mirror episode “USS Callister”] talking about fandom in general, not just for Star Trek, but fandom in general. Fandom of any kind is a place—especially, I think, in our childhood—where we hide to create an alternate reality for ourselves if our reality isn’t quite the same. as we want, and that’s why things like Star Trek or Marvel or Star Wars, that’s why people have such deeply personal reactions, because there’s something It’s very personal about one’s connection to the franchise saying “this is where I felt safe as a kid”. And I guess it has an inherent darkness, although it is also a wonderful, amazing thing, and there is a lot of light to it. So it’s a vision of what will happen when it goes very, very wrong.
Alex Kurtzman on David Bowie:
There are a few days when I will dive into Bowie’s interviews… As a young man, he was completely fearless, unbelievably fearful, and had both confidence and real insecurity. quite extraordinary. He’s pushing all the boundaries there, but you can see that his human has an amazing flaw. And then you get into the middle of his career, and he’s definitely calmer, but he’s still very unafraid to say the things that need to be said and provocative. And as you enter old age, wisdom comes with age, and a life lived the way only David Bowie could have lived his life. So I like to think he’s defined by bravery.
Alex Kurtzman on science fiction:
I know that as a spectator I’m excited to see that something is trying to do something different, that is spawning something that I love but in a different way. . And that’s really what we started with The Man Who Fell to Earth. And I think it’s really fascinating, I think it’s talking about things that are not just relevant now, they’re going to define the future of whether we’re on this planet or not, but in a real way. exciting. Great sci-fi makes you think about your place in the universe, that’s the point. But it also entertains you, and it allows you to go to different worlds, and visualize things that you didn’t even think possible, and you’re transported into a whole universe, and I think That’s what the program does.
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