David Tennant will star in the Fox adaptation of Broadchurch later this year, and for the first time he’s talking about why he decided to star in a clone of the original.

Gracepoint is essentially a repeat of Broadchurch, but show runners have indicated that there will be a different answer to “whodunnit?” despite having the same characters and overall storyline.

Tennant is the only actor in Gracepoint to come from Broadchurch. The decision feels bizarre to spectators because viewers have never seen one actor appear in two versions of the same show.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tennant sheds a little light on his decision to do this. “The fact I knew how good it was” is why he decided to star in Gracepoint, he says. “I knew what an exciting story it was and a lot of the same people are involved so I knew it wasn’t going to be turned into something … less good.”

He also admits that he’ll use this unique opportunity to make changes to his character. “I’m sure there will be a bit of that going on. I’m not going to encourage people to compare to original performance,” he says. “But since I’m playing scenes in a different location with different people it’s going to be different; you just have to be open to where that goes. There is no precedent for this. It’s so familiar, yet completely new. It’s a very peculiar experience.”

Tennant was asked about working with his new co-star Anna Gunn (best known for her lead role in Breaking Bad). “It’s been lovely. We’ve only done two days on set so we’re still at the beginning of our working relationship. But she’s very sparky and a fine actress and fun so far, which is a relief.”

Finally, EW asked the actor if he’ll be back for Broadchurch season 2, and Tennant surprisingly says that he’s still not sure. “I’m still waiting to find out whether he comes back [in the second season]. I suppose that might impact Gracepoint. I’m in the dark on that. I’d be thrilled to be involved, but it’s in the hands of others.”

In related news, two stills from Gracepoint have surfaced this month which offer first looks at Tennant and Gunn in their lead roles. The first is pictured above while the second is below:

Gracepoint will air later this year on Fox.