The remake trend continues ever onward, and like The Blob (remade!) it devours all things in its path, even Nicolas Roeg’s very weird 1970s David Bowie movie The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Based on a novel, the story was actually retold a couple of years back in a TV movie that had Robert Picardo AND Wil Wheaton in it, to give you an idea of just how misguided it was. The original movie has the one insurmountable strength that 1970s era David Bowie didn’t need to act to be an alien.
The story is about a visitor from space who disguises himself as a person and comes to Earth to get water for his thirsty ass planet. Along the way he becomes the head of a huge company, as often happens, and he is faced with the depths of humanity’s greed. I remember there being copious nudity in the original as well, which I haven’t seen in years.
Oren Moverman is writing the new script for Warner Independent, and the good news is that the guy isn’t some hack. He wrote Jesus’ Son and the upcoming I’m Not There: Suppositions On a Film Concerning Bob Dylan, with Todd Haynes. So the guy’s got indie cred, and this means the film probably won’t turn into a Will Smith vehicle. Unless Will Smith thinks a little indie cred is going to help his next album, The Man Who Rocked The Mic.