Based on true stories, along with additional source material from the book, the series follows a rebellious MIT graduate who breaks glass ceilings to join NASA, where she becomes a rising star under the mentorship of Wernher von Braun, mastermind of America's space program. But as she navigates the turbulent sexual, social and political landscape of the 1960s and the Cold War, her dream becomes a nightmare when she discovers von Braun's dark past.
The series is described as character-driven, with two intertwining timelines, and tonally falls somewhere between Lessons In Chemistry and Oppenheimer.
Daniel Pyne (pictured above, left) will serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside writer-producer Michael Esser, who brought the project to Sam Okun Productions after attempting a feature film script based on the material.
Alive Entertainment’s Philip von Alvensleben and Okun (pictured above, right) will also produce, with Sam Okun Productions VP Christian Jean serving as co-executive producer. German production company Prodco ndF is on board as a co-production partner.
According to sources, talks are underway with an A-list director for the first season, and the team will begin selling the package to broadcasters and streamers soon.
Okun: “Much like what he did with Bosch, Dan has an amazing gift and sensibility for simplifying massive amounts of story detail to tell a beautiful and compelling character-driven story for the times; and with Michael’s extensive research and expertise along with his remarkable story telling abilities, Dark Side of the Moon will make for one stand-out show of a show!”
Pyne adds: "It’s a powerful and timely story about the price we so often pay for progress. Who we are, as individuals and as a country, is complicated, not black and white – defined by the decisions we make to succeed, or just to survive, and all those little lies we tell ourselves to justify what’s been achieved."
Pyne is perhaps best known as showrunner and executive producer of four seasons of Prime Video's hit series Bosch. His credits include The Manchurian Candidate, The Sum of All Fears and Backstabbing for Beginners.
Sam Okun Productions most recently produced Prisoner's Daughter, the Catherine Hardwicke drama starring Kate Beckinsale and Brian Cox, which was released by Vertical after premiering at TIFF.
The company recently wrapped work on the ensemble drama All There Is, starring Elsie Fisher, Mena Suvari, Cheyenne Jackson, Jason Priestley and more. The company is also developing the international series Anatomy of a Scam, with Timothy Prager helming the adaptation and Daniel Calparsoro directing.
