The work of Walter Tevis (1928-1984) has enjoyed a recent revival thanks to the runaway success of Netflix's The Queen's Gambit, based on his 1983 novel. On April 24, another adaptation based on a book by Tevis, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1963), premiered on Showtime. The novel was originally made into a movie in 1976, starring David Bowie as an alien disguised among humans hoping to rescue the dwindling remnants of his species stranded on a drought-stricken planet. The alien, going by Thomas Jerome Newton, patents his people's advanced technology and becomes exceedingly wealthy, though he falls victim to human vices and government interference. The film, directed by Nicolas Roeg, also starred Rip Torn and Candy Clark.
The Showtime series takes place 45 years after Roeg's film, with Bill Nighy playing Bowie's character and Chiwetel Ejiofor starring as a second alien come to Earth. The cast also includes Clarke Peters, Naomie Harris, Kate Mulgrew, Jimmi Simpson and Rob Delaney. Five of 10 episodes have aired so far. On May 10, Vintage released a new paperback edition of The Man Who Fell to Earth. It has also reissued a number of other novels by Tevis, including The Steps of the Sun, Mockingbird, The Hustler and The Color of Money. --Tobias Mutter
