National Geographic is developing a series adaptation of Tom Wolfe's 1979 book "The Right Stuff" in partnership with Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way and Warner Horizon Scripted Television.
The book recounts the early days of the US space program and its astronauts.
According to Variety, the first season begins in 1958, the height of the Cold War, with the Soviets leading the space race and the US launching NASA's Project Mercury.
The show is described as taking "a clear-eyed, non-nostalgic look at the lives of these ambitious astronauts and their families, who became instant celebrities in a competition that would either kill them or make them immortal."
Following seasons will follow the Apollo Space Program, the moon landing, and other missions.
Production is slated to begin later this year with DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson attached as executive producers.
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"The behind-the-scenes stories of the astronauts in Tom Wolfe's bestseller The Right Stuff are engaging, provocative and timeless.
The book's narrative aligns perfectly with the qualities that we look for in scripted projects: fact-based, wildly entertaining and pushing the limits of human achievement," said Carolyn Bernstein, National Geographic's executive vice president of global scripted content and documentary films, in a statement.
'The Right Stuff' was previously adapted into a feature film in 1983.
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