Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Aims to Balance Faithful Adaptation With Elaboration
Source material can be a double-edged sword. It often comes with a built-in fan base, one that’s easily rankled by artistic liberties. The executive producers of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale seem well aware of that.
Their upcoming drama is based off Margaret Atwood’s celebrated (and many times previously adapted) 1985 novel of the same name. And when the streamer trotted out the creative team and rather impressive cast in front of TV reporters for the first time on Saturday evening, much of the discussion lingered on the familiar intellectual property — “IP” for you hepcats — and how preciously they intend to handle it. “Not only is this a book that people have read and studied for years, it’s been a movie, a ballet, an opera and a play a couple of times,” said EP and writer Bruce Miller. “We’re certainly loyal to the book. We think the book is excellent. With any changes we make, we are mindful that we’re connected to the original material.”
The Handmaid’s Tale, technically categorized as “speculative fiction” in whatever existing card catalog drawers that haven’t been reclaimed by interior designers, is not unlike the dystopian yarns that dominate current popular YA books. It’s set in a society where rampant fertility issues have prompted a…