The Handmaid's Tale: What do we know so far?

The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel, is the latest literary work to get a high-profile small-screen adaptation. Due to be released on the American streaming service Hulu in April, the ten-episode series promises to be dark, mysterious and gritty.

So what's the show about and who's involved? Here's what we know so far:

What's the story?

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Never one to shy away from the darker side of social issues and gender roles, Atwood's novel chronicles the lives of women in the fictional Republic of Gilead, where women are facing widespread infertility.

As a result, fertile women, known as "handmaids", are designated to wealthy families by the government, in order to maintain the population. These handmaids are subjugated by a patriarchal dictatorship and forced into sexual slavery in order to help rich couples conceive.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"106662","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]] The video description for the official trailer adds more teasing details: "In this terrifying society, Offred must navigate 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 Canadian author has long been fascinated by what she calls "speculative fiction" rather than science fiction and says The Handmaid's Tale is very much the former. "Science fiction has monsters and spaceships; speculative fiction could really happen," she told The Guardian in a 2003 interview.

Who is involved?

Elisabeth Moss of Mad Men fame has been cast as the titular handmaid, Offred; a divorcee who is forced into sexual servitude in order to bear children with a military commander, played by Joseph Fiennes.

Elsewhere, Orange is the New Black star Samira Wiley will appear, along with Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd and Madeline Brewer. Atwood will be involved in the production, acting as a consulting producer for the show.

Bruce Miller, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears and Warren Littlefield have been brought in as producers for the series.

Where can I see it?

If you're based in the UK, the answer is not yet known. The show was created by and will premiere on Hulu, a US-only streaming service that has yet to make it to our shores.

However, information is expected regarding a UK premiere, so look out for updates.