A haunting teaser has been released for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu’s upcoming adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s award-winning 1985 novel. Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”) toplines the series, which takes place in a near-future dystopia. “I had another name, but it’s forbidden now,” Offred (Moss) explains in the spot. “So many things are forbidden now.”
The story is set in “Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly part of the United States,” the show’s official synopsis details. “Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted religious fundamentalism that treats women as property of the state. As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world. In this terrifying society where one wrong word could end her life, Offred navigates between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids — where anyone could be a spy for Gilead — all with one goal: to survive and find the daughter that was taken from her.”
The terrifying footage depicts violence and indoctrination. “The Handmaid’s Tale” is especially dread-inducing given the current political climate and threats to women’s reproductive rights.
Golden Globe winner Moss is supported by a cast that includes Samira Wiley (“Orange is the New Black”), Alexis Bledel (“Gilmore Girls”), Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare in Love”), and Yvonne Strahovski (“Dexter”).
“The Handmaid’s Tale” isn’t the only high-profile Atwood adaptation in the works. Anna Paquin (“True Blood”) and Sarah Gadon (“Belle”) are set to star in Netflix’s adaptation of Atwood’s “Alias Grace,” a drama inspired by the true story of convicted murderer Grace Marks (Gadon), a young Irish immigrant and domestic servant living in Upper Canada. The miniseries is written and produced by Sarah Polley (“Stories We Tell”) and directed by Mary Harron (“American Psycho”). The project will debut sometime in 2017.
Moss will return for Season 2 of “Top of the Lake,” also due sometime this year. This season of the feminist murder mystery series, co-created by Jane Campion (“The Piano”), will feature Nicole Kidman and “Game of Thrones’” Gwendoline Christie.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” hits Hulu April 26. Reed Morano (“Meadlowland”) helmed the first three episodes of the 10-episode drama. Check out the teaser below.
