Philip Kaufman's 1983 adaptation of Tom Wolfe's famous novel The Right Stuff won four Oscars from eight nominations; possibly the very definition of tough act to follow. Leonardo DiCaprio, in his capacity as a producer, thinks he's got – what's the phrase? The correct material? – to do just that, working with the National Geographic channel to turn the book into a TV series.
The longer form scope of TV does seem like a good home for the story, which chronicled the true-life tales of the Mercury Seven astronauts. With America lagging behind the Soviets in the space race as the Cold War ice thickens, a group of adrenaline-junkie test pilots living in the Mojave Desert risk their lives daily to breach the barriers of speed travel. The show, which has Will Staples as main writer and executive producer, will use Wolfe's tome as a jumping off point, following a different mission each season as the pilots (including the space-bound likes of Alan Shepard, John Glenn and Gus Grissom) and their families became reality TV stars, the American public fascinated by their struggles.
"Having already had a rich relationship with Leonardo, Jennifer [Davisson] and their production company Appian Way, I’m excited to work with them in a scripted capacity," says National Geographic CEO Courteney Monroe. "With The Right Stuff, we’re looking at moment in time where the everyday life, the trials and tribulations, of these men was scrutinized in the public."