Get ready for some out-of-this-world queer representation! Kristen Stewart is set to star in the upcoming limited series The Challenger, where she’ll portray the real-life trailblazer and queer icon, astronaut Sally Ride. Known for her roles in Twilight and Spencer, Stewart is now bringing her talents to the small screen in a role that’s sure to inspire.
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Sally Ride: A Pioneer in Space
Sally Ride made history in 1983 as the first American woman to go into space. She was part of NASA’s 1978 astronaut class, the first to include women and people of color. Although Ride was a private person, her sexuality became public knowledge when her obituary in 2012 revealed her 27-year relationship with Tam O’Shaughnessy.
Kristen Stewart Takes on TV
In The Challenger, Kristen Stewart will star as Sally Ride and executive produce the series. She’ll work alongside actress Kyra Sedgwick and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners. Amazon MGM is reportedly close to acquiring the rights for this hotly anticipated show.
Kyra Sedgwick, who has been developing the series since 2017, shared her excitement about Stewart’s involvement. “Kristen has never done television, but when she read The Challenger, she became obsessed with telling the story of Sally Ride from her own unique perspective that I won’t even try to paraphrase because she is so eloquent about it,” Sedgwick told Deadline.
A Stellar Production Team
Maggie Cohn, known for her work on American Crime Story, The Staircase, and Narcos: Mexico, will write the story. Based on Meredith E. Bagby’s book The New Guys, the show will delve into the lives of the diverse group of astronauts from NASA’s 1978 class, famously nicknamed “The F*cking New Guys.”
More Than Just a Space Story
The show aims to capture Ride’s historic flight and her role in the Rogers Commission, which investigated the Challenger disaster. Ride’s contributions were pivotal, as she identified the O-ring problem that led to the tragic explosion. This series will highlight her brilliance and the challenges she faced as a queer woman in a male-dominated field.
Ready for Lift-Off
Kyra Sedgwick emphasized the collaborative effort that brought The Challenger to life. “This is something we’ve worked on at Big Swing since 2017, me, Meredith, and Valerie Stadler,” she said. “Sally Ride was among them, and the focus is this newly recruited wild, feral group of astronauts who were all very diverse.”
With Stewart’s passion and the powerhouse team behind her, The Challenger is poised to be a groundbreaking series celebrating a true American hero and the diverse team that helped shape NASA’s history. As Sedgwick puts it, “Who better to play Sally Ride than one of the great actors of her generation? As they say in Hollywood, passion wins the day.”
Buckle up, folks. Kristen Stewart will take us on an unforgettable journey to the stars.
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