Alexis Bledel's new role will take her from the quaint streets of Stars Hollow to a much drearier place.
Vulture reports that the Gilmore Girls star has been cast in Hulu's 10-episode adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale. The dystopian story, set in the near future, is told through the lens of women whose rights have been stripped from them following a revolution.
According to the site, the actress will portray Ofglen, a member of a class of women known as "handmaids," who are used by their male masters to carry children. Ofglen becomes a confidant to Offred (Elisabeth Moss), a woman searching for the daughter who was taken from her when the totalitarian regime took over.
This will be the first TV series Bledel has appeared on since Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life began streaming on Netflix in November of 2016. It's also perhaps the darkest project that Bledel has ever been a part of. Atwood's novel is a bleak look at the future for women living under the Republic of Gilead, one in which their bodies are politicized and completely controlled by men.
In a political climate in which many women are worried that their reproductive rights are at risk, Bledel's new project feels more relevant than ever.