I wasn’t even two years old when the worst tragedy in the U.S. Space Program took place. In January of 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger suddenly exploded 73 seconds after blastoff. Every person on board died in the explosion, infamously including school teacher Christa McAuliffe, who was serving as the mission’s payload specialist. The explosion led to a major investigation into NASA with a committee that included, among others, test pilot Chuck Yeager, first man on the moon Neil Armstrong, and the first American woman in space, Sally Ride. Ride will be the focus of a new limited series, called The Challenger, which will star Kristen Stewart.
Amazon MGM Studios has greenlit the series, which will be inspired by Meredith E. Bagby’s acclaimed 2023 book The New Guys. Golden Globe-winner Maggie Cohn will serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner for the series, with BAFTA nominee James Hawes directing. Stewart will also serve as an executive producer on the project.
From the press release:
The Challenger tells the gripping story of one of the most defining moments in space history, both the unprecedented events leading up to the tragedy, and the shocking investigation that followed. As the members of the 1986 Rogers Commission interrogate the complex inner workings of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to find what, or who, was responsible for the Challenger’s doomed fate, the show explores Commission member Sally Ride’s personal journey.
We follow Sally, and the rest of the diverse Astronaut Class of ’78, through the ranks of the shuttle program, through initial recruitment and training, professional and personal highs and lows, until Sally’s historic glass ceiling moment as she becomes the first American woman in space.
This will mark the first television project for Stewart, who has been a movie star for 25 years. No word yet on when The Challenger will air.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.