Transparent creator Jill Soloway has been tapped to develop and direct a biopic about astronaut Sally Ride for Lionsgate, which has also hired Cassie Pappas to write the script, Collider has exclusively learned.

Based on an original spec script by Krystin Ver Linden that was voted to the 2018 Black List, Ride will chronicle the legendary mission that led Sally Ride to become the first American woman in space. Kristin Burr (Cruella) will produce the film under her Burr! Productions banner, while Soloway and Andrea Sperling (Professor Marston & The Wonder Woman) will produce through their company Topple. Lionsgate executives Meredith Wieck and Aaron Edmonds will oversee the project on behalf of the studio, whose Dan Freedman negotiated the Ride deals.

"Sally Ride is an American hero and icon whose life and career was and is endlessly fascinating and inspirational," said Nathan Kahane, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “In the hands of Jill Soloway and our tremendous team of producers, we feel we have the right storytellers to honor and properly tell Sally's incredible story."

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Image via Beth Dubber/Amazon Studios

Soloway is the creator of the groundbreaking Amazon series Transparent, which won eight Emmy awards during its five-season run, including two for Soloway’s direction. Soloway is currently developing a Red Sonja movie for Millennium Films, as well as co-writing the Julianne Moore movie Mothertrucker with Taylor Blackburn. That film follows an author's friendship with Joy Mothertrucker, America’s one and only female ice road trucker.

Following the success of Transparent, Soloway co-created the Amazon series I Love Dick starring Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Hahn and Griffin Dunne. Soloway's other TV credits include HBO's Six Feet Under and Showtime's United States of Tara starring Toni Collette. Soloway made their feature directorial debut with the indie comedy Afternoon Delight, and they also published a pair of memoirs. In addition to founding Topple and a publishing company Topple Books, which is an imprint of Little A, Soloway also cofounded 50/50 by 2020, an artist empowerment network and strategic initiative of Time’s Up.

Pappas is currently developing an untitled show for Apple TV+ with Jennifer Schuur, as well as the series The Divers Clothes Lie Empty for eOne, with Michael London producing. She previously developed Rodeo with Soloway for Amazon, and also wrote on Showtime’s The Bell Jar, as well as HBO's untitled porn project from the Duplass brothers. Her other TV credits include FX's Tyrant and AMC's Book of Lies, and on the feature side, she has written a reimagining of Road House for MGM.

Soloway and Sperling are represented by UTA and Jackoway Austen, while Pappas is repped by 3 Arts Entertainment. Lionsgate's upcoming releases include Rian Johnson's murder mystery Knives Out, and you can read our review for that right here.