Kristen Stewart is set to portray Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, in an upcoming limited TV series titled The Challenger. The series is based on Meredith Bagby’s 2022 book, The New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel. According to Deadline, Amazon/MGM studios are finalizing a deal to secure the series.

Ride was a member of NASA’s 1978 space shuttle class, which was the first to include individuals other than white men. The class also included the first Black and Asian American astronauts. A barrier-breaker herself, Ride participated in two shuttle missions and was NASA’s first LGBTQIA+ astronaut. She later served as the only astronaut on the Rogers Commission, investigating the 1986 Challenger disaster.

The series is being developed by Kyra Sedgwick and Valerie Stadler’s Big Swing Productions, with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners and Stewart’s Nevermind production company on board for production. Maggie Cohn, known for her work on American Crime Story, The Staircase, and Narcos: Mexico, will serve as the writer and showrunner.

Sedgwick shared her excitement about the project, highlighting the diverse group of astronauts featured in the story and the parallel track focusing on the Rogers Commission. She also emphasized the personal connection that Bagby, who grew up in Florida, has with the subject matter, having witnessed the Challenger explosion and conducted extensive interviews with the astronauts.

Stewart’s portrayal of Ride marks her television debut. Sedgwick expressed her enthusiasm about securing Stewart’s involvement, describing it as a dream come true for the production team. The series is expected to debut around the anniversary of the Challenger disaster, which occurred on January 28, 1986. Ride played a crucial role in determining the cause of the tragedy, attributing it to the shuttle’s o-rings becoming stiff in the colder-than-normal Florida temperature.