Exciting New Trailer for the Disney+ Series Adaptation of THE RIGHT STUFF
National Geographic has released a new trailer for the fantasitic-looking series The Right Stuff, which is coming to Disney+. The eight-episode series is an adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s iconic, bestselling nonfiction account of the early days of the U.S. space program, specifically the story of the Mercury Seven.
The series “takes a clear-eyed look at what would become America’s first ‘reality show,’ as ambitious astronauts and their families become instant celebrities in a competition that could kill them or make them immortal.”
As a long-time NASA geek, this is a project that I’ve been very excited about. I love everything that I’ve seen from it so far, and it looks like this is going to be a top-quality show that is going to be a must-watch! Here’s a detailed description of the series that was shared with the trailer:
At the height of the Cold War in 1959, America fears it is a nation in decline as the Soviet Union dominates the space race. But, the U.S. government has a solution – put a man in space. Newly-formed NASA is given the monumental task, and a group of the nation’s best engineers estimate they’ll need decades to accomplish the feat…but they only have two years.
NASA engineers, including rocket scientist Bob Gilruth (Patrick Fischler) and the passionate Chris Kraft (Eric Ladin), work against the clock under mounting pressure from Washington. Together, they hand select seven astronauts from a pool of military test pilots. These are ordinary men, plucked from obscurity, and within days of being presented to the world, they are forged into heroes before they achieve a single heroic act.
The two men at the center of it all are Major John Glenn (Patrick J. Adams), a revered Marine test pilot and committed family man, and Lieutenant Commander Alan Shepard (Jake McDorman), one of the best test pilots in Navy history. Other members of the Mercury 7 include Captain Gordo Cooper (Colin O’Donoghue), the youngest of the seven selected to everyone’s surprise; Wally Schirra (Aaron Staton), a competitive pilot with a gift for pulling pranks; Scott Carpenter (James Lafferty), dubbed “The Poet” by the other astronauts; Deke Slayton, (Micah Stock), a taciturn but incredibly intelligent pilot and engineer; and Gus Grissom, (Michael Trotter), a decorated military veteran who eventually becomes the second man in space.
The series also examines the astronauts’ families, including Annie Glenn (Nora Zehetner), who contends with a speech impairment in the public eye; Louise Shepard (Shannon Lucio), a wife and mother who refuses to let Alan’s transgressions affect her home; and Trudy Cooper (Eloise Mumford), an accomplished pilot who puts her own ambitions aside to present the image of a happy family.
Set during a time when many wondered whether America’s glory days were behind it, “The Right Stuff” is an aspirational story about ambition and exploration and how ordinary human beings can achieve the extraordinary.
Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) serves as an executive producer through his Appian Way banner, and Game of Thrones’ David Nutter directed the series premiere and is also set as an executive producer.
The series will be available for streaming on Friday, October 9th, exclusively on Disney+.