Alexis Bledel has signed onto her first gig after Netflix’s “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” revival. The fan-favorite TV star has joined Hulu’s upcoming dystopian series “The Handmaid’s Tale.” She joins star Elisabeth Moss in the 10-episode series, along with Joseph Fiennes, Samira Wiley and Yvonne Strahovski. The streaming series is set to debut on April 26, 2017.
Based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, “The Handmaid’s Tale” follows Offred, a handmaid played by Moss, who is forced into subjugation in an attempt to repopulate the fictional, male-dominated society of Gilead. Bledel will play Ofglen, Offred’s (Elisabeth Moss) fellow handmaid and companion. At first, Ofglen seems like a pious rule-follower, loyal to the oppressive Gilead system, but she turns out to be daring and subversive. Bledel joins in a recurring role.
Hulu gave a straight-to-series order to “The Handmaid’s Tale” in April 2016. The series hails from MGM Television. Bruce Miller created, wrote and will executive produce the show, along with Fran Sears, Warren Littlefield, Ilene Chaiken and Daniel Wilson, who worked on the 1990 “Handmaid’s Tale” movie, which starred Natasha Richardson. Reed Morano will direct and exec produce the first three episodes.
Bledel’s casting in the Hulu show comes after much speculation about future episodes of “Gilmore Girls” on Netflix. Insiders tell Variety there are no official talks regarding more episodes at this time. If Netflix were ever to order more “Gilmore Girls,” Bledel’s involvement would not be impacted, as production would not coincide with the first season of “Handmaid’s Tale,” which is currently in production in Toronto.
“Handmaid’s Tale” marks a reunion of sorts for Moss and Bledel, who appeared in a few episodes of “Mad Men.” Aside from “Gilmore Girls,” Bledel is also known for “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” films. She is repped by CAA, Industry Entertainment, and Jackoway, Tyerman, Wertheimer, Austen, Mandelbaum, Morris & Klein.
