Directed by James Hawes (Mad Dogs, Doctor Who) and written by Kate Gartside (Mistresses), the biographical drama is about acclaimed scientist Richard Feynman’s search for truth in the wake of the Nasa Challenger disaster.
Hurt will play US physicist Richard Feynman, who was instrumental in uncovering the truth behind the space shuttle Challenger disaster of 1986.
When Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its flight on the morning of 28 January 1986, it represented one of the most shocking events in the history of American spaceflight. A Presidential Commission was immediately convened to explore what had gone wrong, but with the vast complexity of the space shuttle and so many vested interests involved in the investigation, discovering the truth was an almost impossible challenge.
Kim Shillinglaw, BBC Commissioning Editor, Science and Natural History, commented: “This is the gripping story of a brilliant physicist’s battle for scientific truth in the dark corridors of big government. With an impressive cast, including award-winning actor William Hurt, it promises to be a powerful factual drama for BBC Two and part of our mission to make science programmes ever more surprising and ambitious.”
Debbie Myers, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Science Channel, added: “The Challenger disaster represents an indelible moment in American history – anyone who is old enough to recall it remembers exactly where they were then this terrible tragedy occurred. Science Channel is honoured to work with the incomparable William Hurt to tell the story of Richard Feynman, a true-life hero and one of most controversial scientific minds of our time.”
The cast also includes Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) as fellow Commissioner US Air Force General Donald Kutyna, Brian Dennehy (Twelfth Night) as William Rogers, Chairman of the Presidential Commission, Joanne Whalley (Edge Of Darkness) as Feynman’s wife Gweneth, Kevin McNally (Wuthering Heights) as Larry Mulloy, head of the Solid Rocket Booster programme at NASA’s Marshall Space Centre and Henry Goodman (Notting Hill) as Doctor Weiss.
Filming began last month and the 90-minute film will air on BBC Two in 2013.