Kristen Stewart's "The Challenger" Is Moving Forward

Amazon Prime Video has greenlit Kristen Stewart's limited series “The Challenger".

Stewart will play astronaut and physicist Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space.

Ride broke the gender barrier on June 18, 1983, as part of a NASA space shuttle astronaut class of 1978 that was the first to be diversified and not comprised of all white men.

“The Challenger” was first reported to be in the works at the streamer in June 2024. It is inspired by Meredith E. Bagby’s book “The New Guys.”

Maggie Cohn (“The Staircase,” “American Crime Story”) is creating the series in addition to serving as executive producer and showrunner.

Kyra Sedgwick and Valerie Stadler will executive produce for Big Swing Productions, where the project was initially developed.

Bagby is also an executive producer, as are Stewart, Dylan Meyer, and Maggie McLean under their Nevermind production banner.

Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will executive produce for Amblin Television. James Hawes (“Slow Horses,” “Black Mirror”) will direct and executive produce.

“Meredith, Valerie, and I at Big Swing have been passionately developing this project since 2017, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Amblin and Amazon MGM Studios,” Sedgwick said. “There is no one better than Maggie Cohn to bring to life the complex story of the Challenger and the new class of astronauts recruited by NASA in the early 1970s, all through the eyes of an American hero, Sally Ride.”

The official logline for the show states: “‘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. 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.”

The series will mark the first regular TV role in Stewart’s career. She has established herself as one of the most popular actresses of her generation for her roles in acclaimed films like “Spencer” — for which she earned an Academy Award nomination — as well as for “Camp X-Ray,” “Clouds of Sils Maria,” “Seberg,” “Love Lies Bleeding,” and many more.

Stewart made her feature directorial debut in 2025 with “The Chronology of Water,” which screened in competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

She achieved early success in her career with her leading role in the “Twilight” film franchise.

The deal for the series was brokered by WME and CAA.