Patrick J. Adams will suit up to lead the cast of National Geographic’s ‘The Right Stuff’ series, based on the Tom Wolfe book, which was previously adapted as a film in 1983. Adams will play Major John Glenn, who was portrayed by Ed Harris in the movie. ‘The Right Stuff’ originates from Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way and Warner Horizon Scripted Television. DiCaprio will serve as an executive producer. Mark Lafferty (‘Castle Rock’) serves as showrunner, and David Nutter (‘Game of Thrones’) is attached to direct and executive produce the first episode.
Leading up to the first manned space mission from the US, Project Mercury, the government publicized the process of selecting the right test pilots, making some of the astronauts and their wives famous in the process. “Glenn is a revered test pilot and committed family man with unwavering principles. He is the only astronaut to have experienced fame before Project Mercury, and he immediately locks horns with Alan Shepard in an unrelenting fight to be the first man in space.”
The TV series will admittedly be a slightly fictionalized account, and Wolfe’s book is described as simply the “starting point.” Set during the Cold War, the story depicts the space race, which the Russians appear to be winning after the launch of the Sputnik satellite.
“To combat a national sentiment of fear and decline, the U.S. government conceives of NASA’s Project Mercury, igniting a space race with the Soviets and making instant celebrities of a handful of the military’s adrenaline-fueled test pilots. These individuals, who come to be known as the Mercury Seven, are forged into heroes long before they have achieved a single heroic act. At the heart of a historic drama populated by deeply human characters, archrivals Glenn and Shepard jockey to become the first man in space.”
Adams is best known for his Screen Actors Guild Award-winning role of Mike Ross on seven seasons of the series ‘Suits’. Adams also directed multiple episodes of the series. He has since recurred as Stefan Kilbane on Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Sneaky Pete’. Some may also remember him for playing Rex Tyler/Hourman on The CW’s ‘Legends of Tomorrow’.
Production of ‘The Right Stuff’ is set to begin this fall in Coco Beach, Florida, with the series due to arrive in 2020.
Source: Deadline
