Prime Video is reaching for the stars with a powerful new limited series, ‘The Challenger,’ and it’s bringing a magnetic lead along for the journey. Kristen Stewart is officially set to portray pioneering astronaut Sally Ride in the upcoming Prime Video drama.
The project promises a stirring blend of human ambition, scientific triumph, and one of the most haunting tragedies in space history, orbiting both the legacy of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and the personal journey of one of its most important voices.
According to the official logline:
“‘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 (Stewart) personal journey.”
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The series charts Ride’s trajectory from ambitious recruit to history-maker, capturing her groundbreaking achievement as the first American woman in space. It also delves into in the investigation that followed the disaster, peeling back layers of institutional complexity within NASA.
‘The Challenger’ is inspired by The New Guys by Meredith E. Bagby, which chronicled the diverse Astronaut Class of 1978, a group that reshaped the face of the American space program.
Created by Maggie Cohn (The Staircase, American Crime Story), who also serves as showrunner and executive producer. Directed and executive produced by James Hawes (Slow Horses, Black Mirror). Executive producers include Kyra Sedgwick and Valerie Stadler for Big Swing Productions. Kristen Stewart, Dylan Meyer, and Maggie McLean produce under their Nevermind banner. Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey executive produce for Amblin Television.
