In a matter of days, audiences are set to take off with Ryan Gosling as astronaut Neil Armstrong in the Damien Chazelle film, “First Man.” That film tells the story of the historical space mission that included the first successful moon landing. However, not all NASA missions go to plan. And the most famous, and ultimately tragic, example of a failed space mission is with 1986’s Challenger launch. Now, over 30 years after that fateful mission, Academy Award-nominated actress Michelle Williams is set to bring that story to the big screen.
Deadline is reporting that Williams has signed on to star as teacher-turned-astronaut Christa McAuliffe in the film “The Challenger.” For those not familiar with the Challenger space shuttle and McAuliffe, the story is sadly not nearly as triumphant as Armstrong’s moon landing. McAuliffe was chosen to be part of the NASA Teachers in Space program, and in doing so, was selected to be part of the Challenger space shuttle launch on January 28, 1986. Everything seemed to be going great until just over a minute after launch, the shuttle exploded, killing all seven members of the mission.
The cultural significance was immediate, due to the fact that the launch was shown live on TV, watched by millions and millions of people worldwide. Instead of people watching in amazement at shuttle and rocket launches, people who remember the Challenger now brace for the worst.
“We are more than humbled and extremely grateful for the opportunity to help tell the story of Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger mission,” producer Ben Renzo said. “Christa McAuliffe’s legacy deserves the strength, courage, experience and humanity that Michelle Williams brings to the role. The entire Argent team is honored and eager to responsibly capture and share the events and personal journeys of those surrounding this important historical moment with audiences around the world to help remember and further appreciate the sacrifices Christa and rest of the Challenger crew made to further our journey into space.”
“The Challenger” will be directed by Martin Zandvliet, a Danish filmmaker probably best known for his work on the film “Land of Mine.” That 2015 film received rave reviews and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. His most recent work is with actor Jared Leto on the Netflix dud “The Outsider.”
No release date is set for “The Challenger,” but the film is aiming for a May 2019 production start date.