Reed Morano has been confirmed to helm “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s classic 1985 dystopian novel. The streaming service has given a straight-to-series order for the project, with “Mad Men’s” Elisabeth Moss in the lead role. Morano will helm the first three episodes of the 10-episode series.
The award-winning book is set in the near future, and speculates what women’s lives would be like in the context of a totalitarian Christian theocracy. There is particular emphasis on women’s reproductive rights — and lack thereof.
A press release details that “The Handmaid’s Tale” is scheduled to go into production this fall in Toronto and will premiere on Hulu in 2017.
Bruce Miller (“The 100”) is credited as the series’ creator, writer, and executive producer. Atwood, who recently won the PEN Pinter Prize, will act as a consulting producer. Netflix just green-lit a miniseries based on Atwood’s “Alias Grace,” so there’s also that to look forward to.
Morano is an acclaimed cinematographer, with credits including “Kill Your Darlings” and “Frozen River.” She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her cinematography in “Meadowland,” her 2015 directorial debut starring Olivia Wilde. When we asked Morano how she managed to balance both jobs on set she said, “I think I morphed into this other person, this other role, where both jobs went totally hand in hand in almost an old-fashioned kind of way. It was kind of like back in your film-school roots where you just pick up the camera and shoot what you want to shoot.” She elaborated, “I decided that I would not let the visuals overtake the story, the narrative, or the performances. That was really important to me. That was a promise I made to myself.” Morano’s decision to serve as both cinematographer and director was partly to “prove that [she] could.”
Morano has another high-profile directing gig booked: she’s set to helm “Lioness,” an indie drama based on a true story that will feature Ellen Page as a U.S. marine. According to IMDb, the film is currently in pre-production.
