David Bowie Releases Extended ‘Blackstar’ Snippet

The Last Panthers, the Sky Atlantic drama series that inspired David Bowie to pen his song “★” (previously referred to as “Blackstar”) for its opening credits, will premiere this Thursday, and director Johan Renck created a show preview unveiling even more of the rocker’s haunting new track. The extended trailer now offers a 90-second glimpse at the throbbing, darkly orchestral title track off Bowie’s upcoming LP.

Bowie will release ★, his 28th studio album, on January 8th, his 69th birthday, with the full song arriving on November 20th. The Times UK reported that the title track clocked in at over 10 minutes. However, Bowie’s camp denied reports regarding the LP’s “sound and content” as “inaccurate reporting.”

Bowie also announced that the track isn’t part of Lazarus, a musical-theater extension of the Bowie-starring sci-fi film The Man Who Fell to Earth that is scheduled to premiere at the New York Theatre Workshop on November 18th.

In a statement, Renck talked about his conversations with Bowie that resulted in “Blackstar.” “I showed Mr. Bowie the two first episodes in the rough state they were in at the time, and he liked what he saw very much,” Renck said. “We discussed the various aspects of the show; naturally the plot line, but also the underlying currents of guilt and personality flaws. We talked about the dark heart of Europe. We talked about the biblical aspects of human nature. He asked if there was anything else to see, so I showed him the first concept board I had just made for the title sequence – images from the show laced with chimaeras and demons from the worlds of Bosch and Grunewald. That’s when he said go – it all fits. Then he played me his new song ‘Blackstar.'”