In 1976 the British director Nicolas Roeg directed the film adaptation of the homonymous science fiction novel by Walter Tevis, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1963). The protagonist of the novel, and then the film, is Thomas Jerome Newton played by David Bowie, in his absolute debut as a performer in a film. The film was very well received by critics, as was Bowie’s performance.
Titan Comics has decided to create a graphic novel based on Roeg’s film, in fact Newton’s likeness will be that of David Bowie himself and the title will obviously be The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Like the 1976 film, the graphic novel will tell the story of Thomas Jerome Newton, an extraterrestrial who arrives on Earth in a desperate search for the water his home planet needs to survive. As he consolidates his social position and becomes richer, he searches for a way to transport water to his planet and faces a growing curiosity about him from the press, the U.S. government, and an antagonistic company. I don’t want to go any further and spoil the story entirely because if you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, I suggest you remedy that sooner rather than later.
The graphic novel should be launched on the market by the end of 2022, the texts have been entrusted to Dan Watters, the same author of another masterpiece as Cowboy Bebop, while the drawings are by Devmalya Pramanik.
“The Man Who Fell to Earth is a masterpiece and has so many things to say; about humans, the Earth and many other things. There are many topics in the film such as references to the climate crisis and corporate greed, which are more relevant now than they were when Nicolas Roeg decided to make it. And now here we are. I think it’s time to look at the world through Thomas Newton’s mismatched eyes again. Maybe he’ll see something we’ve missed”, Dan Watters told Entertainment Weekly.
There are also plans for a TV series to air in the U.S. in the spring inspired by the film and book, while the Titan Comics graphic novel should wait until next fall.
