Kristen Stewart is heading where she has never gone before in her 24-year acting career—television. The 35-year-old Oscar-nominated actor, known for her roles in the Twilight saga and films like Spencer and Love Lies Bleeding, has officially signed on to play American icon Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, in an upcoming limited series for Prime Video.
The project, titled The Challenger, received a formal series order on March 19, 2026, after being in development for nearly two years. This marks Stewart’s first regular leading role in a television or streaming series, making it a significant milestone for the actor who has predominantly built her career in independent and blockbuster films.
The Story Behind ‘The Challenger’
The Challenger is not just another space drama. Based on Meredith E. Bagby’s acclaimed 2023 book The New Guys, the series will chronicle the historic journey of Sally Ride and the diverse group of astronauts selected for NASA’s 1978 class, known as the “Thirty-Five New Guys.” This class was groundbreaking because, for the first time, NASA included women, minorities, and scientists among its astronaut candidates.
The series will follow Ride’s path from her initial recruitment and grueling training through her professional and personal highs and lows, culminating in her historic 1983 mission aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, where she became the first American woman to fly in space.
But the story does not end there. The series also tackles one of the most heartbreaking moments in space exploration history—the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which killed all seven crew members just 73 seconds after launch. Following the tragedy, Ride was appointed to the Rogers Commission, the presidential panel tasked with investigating what went wrong. The show will explore her role in that investigation, offering a personal look at how she grappled with the loss of her colleagues while seeking the truth.
“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,” the official logline reads. “As the members of the 1986 Rogers Commission interrogate the complex inner workings of NASA to find what, or who, was responsible for the Challenger’s doomed fate, the show explores Commission member Sally Ride’s personal journey.”
A Powerhouse Creative Team Behind the Scenes
The series brings together an impressive group of producers and creators. Maggie Cohn, known for her work on American Crime Story: Impeachment and The Staircase, is writing the adaptation and will serve as showrunner and executive producer. James Hawes, a BAFTA-nominated director whose credits include Slow Horses, One Life, and the Black Mirror episodes “Hated in the Nation” and “Smithereens,” is attached to direct and executive produce.
The project has deep roots. Kyra Sedgwick’s production company, Big Swing Productions, has been developing The Challenger since 2017. Sedgwick and her producing partner Valerie Stadler brought the project to life, eventually partnering with Amblin Television—the company co-founded by Steven Spielberg—and Amazon MGM Studios.
Adding another personal layer, Stewart will also executive produce through her production company, Nevermind Pictures, which she runs with her wife, Dylan Meyer, and Maggie McLean. This involvement signals Stewart’s deep commitment to telling Ride’s story authentically.
“Sally Ride’s courage and brilliance changed history, and we couldn’t imagine a more powerful actor to bring her story to life than Kristen Stewart,” said Peter Friedlander, head of global television for Amazon MGM Studios. “The Challenger is an inspiring story about breaking barriers, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with Big Swing Productions, Amblin Television, Nevermind Pictures, Maggie Cohn, and James Hawes to share it with our global Prime Video audience.”
Sedgwick also shared her excitement about the project finally moving forward. “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. 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.”
Who Was Sally Ride?
For those unfamiliar with her legacy, Dr. Sally Ride was a physicist and astronaut who shattered the glass ceiling when she flew aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983. At 32, she was also the youngest American astronaut to travel to space at the time.
Throughout her career, Ride faced significant misogyny and sexism within the male-dominated space program. She was often asked sexist questions by the media, such as whether spaceflight would affect her ability to have children or if she planned to wear a bra in space. Despite these challenges, she persevered and became a symbol of what women could achieve in STEM fields.
Ride also kept her personal life private. It was only after her death in 2012 that her obituary revealed she had been in a 27-year relationship with Tam O’Shaughnessy, a childhood friend and fellow scientist. The series is expected to touch on this aspect of her life, offering a more complete portrait of the woman behind the astronaut.
Kristen Stewart’s Busy Schedule
Before audiences see Stewart suit up for space, she has several other projects lined up. In 2025, she made her feature directorial debut with The Chronology of Water, an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoirs, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
She is also set to star in the absurdist comedy Full Phil alongside Woody Harrelson, directed by Quentin Dupieux, and the horror film Flesh of the Gods with Oscar Isaac, from director Panos Cosmatos. Additionally, she co-wrote The Wrong Girls, a stoner comedy directed by her wife Dylan Meyer, in which Stewart will star with Alia Shawkat.
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What This Means for Kristen Stewart’s Career
Taking on a television role is a strategic move for many film actors today, allowing for deeper character exploration over several episodes. For Stewart, who has consistently chosen challenging and unconventional roles since her Twilight days, playing a real-life American hero like Sally Ride offers a chance to showcase her dramatic range to a wide audience on a global streaming platform.
The series is currently in development at Prime Video. While an official release date has not yet been announced, the greenlight means production will move forward soon. Given the high-profile talent involved—from Stewart and Cohn to Hawes and the Amblin and Big Swing teams—The Challenger is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated limited series in the coming years.
For now, fans of Stewart and space history alike will have to wait for further casting announcements and a premiere date. But one thing is clear: Kristen Stewart is ready to launch into this historic role, and it promises to be a ride worth watching.
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