The Handmaid's Tale Star Elisabeth Moss Will Play A Real-Life Killer For New TV Show

elisabeth moss the handmaid's tale
(Image credit: hulu press)

While fans were hoping that Elisabeth Moss would be back on the small screen as June/Ofjoseph for The Handmaid's Tale Season 4, Hulu previously confirmed that the dystopian drama won't be returning to streaming until some point in 2021. That doesn't mean Moss has been resting on her laurels, however, as the Invisible Man star has already lined up an exciting new project that will put her in the villainous role of a real-life killer.

Elisabeth Moss is currently set to headline the limited event series that is tentatively being called Candy, which will be based on the infamous Texas killer Candy Montgomery and her victim Betty Gore. It will be an interesting switch to see Moss going from playing distressed victims to the portraying a manipulative murderer.

At this point, Candy will be set in a small suburban Texas town in 1980, and will initially focus on how Elisabeth Moss' Candy Montgomery. Not only did Candy have a dependable job, but she also had a loving husband, daughter and son that were all getting used to living in the suburbs. But despite being otherwise content with her nice house and family, Candy made the mysterious choice to kill her friend and fellow church-goer Betty Gore with an axe, setting up tons of speculation from those outside the situation.

While there hasn't been an actress tapped just yet to take the Betty role, Candy does have a solid creative team already lined up. The series, which will be produced through Universal Content Productions, was developed by Nick Antosca, the creator of both the stellar horror anthology Channel Zero and Hulu's The Act, and Robin Veith, whose writer/producer credits include The Act, True Blood and The Expanse, among others. Veith will be writing the script for the pilot episode.

Both Nick Antosca and Robin Veith, who currently have overall deals with UCP, will serve as executive producers, along with Elisabeth Moss and her producing partner Lindsey McManus. One big connection here is that Veith was also a writer and producer on Mad Men, on which Moss starred, and the actress said this new team-up is a long time coming. In her words (via Deadline):

I have been wanting to play an anti-heroine for a while now, and have been trying to work with Robin again after Mad Men for even longer, so when she asked me if I wanted to play a housewife from Texas who, some would say, got away with murder, I simply said, ‘Where do I sign?’ Adding the opportunity to work with Nick after his incredible work on The Act was like taking a delicious dessert and putting 100 cherries on top. My producing partner Lindsey and I are so thrilled to be partnering with them and Alex and Scott and everyone at UCP on a show that I believe is truly going to be like no other we’ve done and will be a role like none I’ve ever played.

Considering how much acclaim and attention Elisabeth Moss gets for each and every role she plays, that should definitely help Candy. Not only when it comes to finding a network or streaming home, but for getting the word out about the new project for publicity campaigns. With UCP a part of NBCUniversal, it's possible that the project will debut under one of the mega-company's many entertainment hubs. After the popularity of The Act, Hulu might also seem like a good home for this project, but it's unclear if the service will be willing to double-down on Moss for a project like this.

Though she'll be first required to finish up with The Handmaid's Tale production, which shut down after just two weeks of filming, Elisabeth Moss has no lack of supplementary projects. Beyond Invisible Man, she can currently be seen portraying horror novelist Shirley Jackson in the drama Shirley. She will be seen in Wes Anderson's next film, The French Dispatch, alongside Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton, among others. As well, Moss will be in Taiki Waititi's upcoming film Next Goal Wins.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news on when and where audiences might be able to find Candy in the future. In the meantime, though, our Summer TV schedule and our Fall 2020 Premiere rundown will clue you in on everything hitting the small screen in the near future, such as Handmaid's Tale star Yvonne Strahovski's new project, the Netflix true-events drama Stateless.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.