Co-written by Bowie and Enda Walsh, the production - directed by Ivo van Hove (Hedda Gabler, More Stately Mansions, Obie Awards) - is inspired by the 1963 novel, "The Man Who Fell To Earth" by Walter Tevis, and centers on the character of Thomas Newton, previously portrayed by Bowie in the 1976 sci-fi screen adaptation directed by Nicolas Roeg.