EXCLUSIVE: Danny Huston, Sofia Black D’Elia, Paul Sparks, Boris McGiver, and Shea Whigham are joining Kristen Stewart and Will Arnett as part of the series regular cast of Prime Video‘s The Challenger.
Created by Maggie Cohn and inspired by Meredith E. Bagby’s book The New Guys, the series chronicles the events leading up to the 1986 Challenger disaster, the investigation that followed, and Sally Ride’s (Stewart) groundbreaking journey as the first American woman in space.
Huston will play William Rogers, who led the investigation into the Challenger explosion; D’Elia as Judy Resnik, the fourth woman to fly in space, who died aboard the Challenger; Sparks as Larry Mulloy, NASA SRB project manager; McGiver as William ‘Bill’ Lucas, NASA official blamed for the Challenger disaster; and Whigham as Roger Boisjoly, a mechanical engineer who strongly opposed the launch of the Challenger.
Arnett, who was previously announced, will portray George Abbey, Director of Flight Crew Operations for NASA’s Space Shuttle, who assigned Ride to the crew of 1983’s STS-7.
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The Challenger is from Big Swing Productions, Amblin Television, and Nevermind Pictures. James Hawes (Slow Horses, Black Mirror) directs and executive produces. Cohn is writer, executive producer, and showrunner. Also executive producing are Kyra Sedgwick and Valerie Stadler for Big Swing Productions; Bagby; Stewart, Dylan Meyer, and Maggie McLean for Nevermind Pictures; and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey for Amblin Television.
Huston is repped by UTA, Julian Belfrage Associates, Untitled Entertainment, and Myman Greenspan Fox. D’elia is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Sparks is repped by Circle Management + Production and Gersh. McGiver is repped by Harden Curtis Kirsten Riley Agency and Paz Talent Management. Whigham is repped by WME and Range Media Partners.
