A most peculiar way
New Zealand Listener|May 7 - 13, 2022
Why Bill Nighy has taken on David Bowie's defining screen role in a television sequel to cult classic The Man Who Fell to Earth.
RUSSELL BAILLIE
A most peculiar way

Bill Nighy: "David Bowie was kind of my guy growing up."

He has been a squid-faced ghost pirate, a zombie and a vampire or two. But Bill Nighy has never been an alien. He has fixed that now in the television series The Man Who Fell to Earth. He's not just any alien, either - he's Thomas Jerome Newton, the character David Bowie made his own in the 1976 Nicolas Roeg movie of the same name, adapted from Walter Tevis' 1963 novel.

And Nighy's not just another Newton. Effectively, the 72-year-old is Bowie's Newton 45 years later, still earthbound, still blind from his cruel treatment by the authorities, still hitting the bottle, and still, well, off the planet.

But this time he's not really the man of the title. That's Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays Faraday, another alien from Newton's dying planet, Anthea. He has been seemingly summoned to Earth by his senior extraterrestrial and has to learn to appear human just as Bowie's starman did.

The series riffs on its Bowie ancestry in other ways - the 10 episodes are named after his songs, beginning with Hallo Spaceboy and ending with The Man Who Sold the World. Having made the choice to retain the Newton-Bowie character in the update, showrunner Alex Kurtzman says getting the casting right was a challenge.

"It was a double-edged sword because, on the one hand, the biggest mistake we could probably make would be to try to invoke or evoke David Bowie in any way. Because he was so singular that all we could do would be to fail, right?

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView all
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024