EXCLUSIVE: Jimmi Simpson (Perpetual Grace, LTD) is set to star alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris in the drama series The Man Who Fell to Earth, which recently changed from CBS All Access / Paramount + to Showtime.
Based on the novel by Walter Tevis and the iconic 1976 film starring David Bowie, The man who fell to earth will follow a new alien character (Ejiofor) who arrives on Earth at an inflection point in human evolution and must face his own past to determine our future.
Simpson will play Spencer Clay, a CIA agent whose obsession with the alien’s true identity takes him to the edge of madness. Harris plays Justin Falls, a brilliant scientist and engineer.
Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet are writing and executive producers on the series and will work as showrunners alongside executive producer John Hlavin. Kurtzman will also direct several episodes of the series. Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Heather Kadin are also executive producers, along with rights holders Studiocanal, Rola Bauer and Françoise Guyonnet. The series, produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Timberman / Beverly, is scheduled to start production in London this spring and will premiere on Showtime in 2022.
Simpson starred alongside Ben Kingsley and Jacki Weaver in Steven Conrad’s Epix series Perpetual Grace, LTD. Previously, he appeared as William on HBO’s Westworld, earning an Emmy nomination for his performance. Simpson also starred in the Emmy-winning episode “USS Callister” from the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror, for which he received a BAFTA nomination.
It can be seen in the recently released features Breaking news in Yuba County, directed by Tate Taylor and Tiller Russell’s Silk Road. Simpson, who also appeared in season 2 of CBS All Access’s The Twilight Zone, produced by CBS Studios, is represented by ICM Partners, Industry Entertainment and Bruce Gelman.