Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, is scarily relevant these days. The novel follows Offred, a handmaid in a world in which women have no rights and are used solely for breeding, or in other words, Mike Pence’s vision for America. Even before the election, Atwood admitted in a Guardian interview that the world we are living in now is “close” to the fictional Republic of Gilead, comparing Trump’s campaign to the 17th-century witch hunts. It’s well-timed then, that Hulu’s adaptation of the novel is in production now and will be released in early 2017, and we can’t wait!
The series stars Elisabeth Moss as Offred, and Orange is the New Black fave Samira Wiley as Moira, who, in the book, is Offred’s close friend from college. Moss, who you probably know best as Peggy Olson from Mad Men, was a huge fan of the novel, and has signed on as a producer as well as playing the lead. With Joseph Fiennes as the Commander, the man that Offred is assigned to in her role of repopulating the male-dominated society, the cast is shaping up to pretty star-studded.
The first-look pictures from the show have just been released and they are powerful. Along with some shots of Moss in her handmaid uniform, there’s a particularly creepy picture of a gathering of handmaids, all clad in the red habits and white wings described in the book. Check them out below and get excited!
Moss recognizes the importance of making the show at a time when women’s rights in America, especially surrounding reproduction, are so precarious. “We never wanted the show to be this relevant,” she told Entertainment Weekly, and describes it as “one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had.”
Well from the looks of these pictures, her hard work is paying off, and we can’t wait to see the results!
Photo Credit: Hulu
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