Elisabeth Moss Inks First-Look Deal With Hulu and Fox 21 Television Studios, Sets Neo-Noir Anthology Series

Will Thorne
·4 min read

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Elisabeth Moss is making a giant leap into developing and producing her own content.

“The Handmaid’s Tale” star has inked a joint first-look deal with the show’s platform Hulu and Fox 21 Television Studios. Moss has also launched her own production company called Love & Squalor Pictures, which will focus on creating TV and film content for all platforms.

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As part of the deal, Moss is developing an anthology titled “Black Match” for Hulu, in which she will star. The series is described as a psychosexual neo-noir thriller set in modern day Los Angeles, and comes from an original script written by Ian McCulloch. Mike Barker is attached to direct the pilot, and Love & Squalor will executive produce alongside Littlefield & Co, McCulloch and Barker.

Moss has tapped former WME agent Lindsey McManus to head her company as president of film and TV. McManus was most recently running Diablo Cody’s first production company, Vita Vera Films, under a three-year overall deal with Warner Brothers Television.

“I am so excited to have formed this company and established this partnership with Lindsey to find material ourselves and have real ownership as producers. We want to develop strong, unique stories for the big and small screen that we feel are inclusive and represent the world that we all see around us,” said Moss in a statement. “We are very proud of the slate that we are building, comprised of projects that run the gamut from broad, commercial fare to darker, more challenging works. Craig Erwich and Hulu have been amazing partners on The Handmaid’s Tale these past 3 seasons and I am thrilled to be starting a creative partnership with Bert Salke and everyone at Fox 21.”

News of Moss’ deal comes exactly two weeks after one of the projects she is already set to star in via Love & Squalor, namely the UCP limited series “Candy,” was announced as coming down the pipeline.

“Elisabeth is a relentless creative force in the world of television and film, both in front of, and behind the camera. She has been an integral part of Hulu’s success, from her Emmy-award winning performance on The Handmaid’s Tale to her singular vision for the show as an executive produce,” said Hulu SVP of originals Craig Erwich. “We are honored to be the streaming home of the amazing stories she and her production company will create and cannot wait to see Love & Squalor Pictures bring Black Match to life for our viewers.”

“Lizzie Moss, in our opinion, had been a huge part of two of the greatest series of all time — ‘Mad Men’ and ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ (‘Top of the Lake’ wasn’t too shabby either). That’s not a coincidence. She brings an intelligence and an emotional vulnerability that is exceedingly rare not just among her contemporaries but among the strongest actors in the history of the medium. That same powerful intelligence and great taste is also evident in Lizzie’s work as a producer, and we feel lucky and excited to be working with her and Lindsey as they embark on their company’s journey,” added Bert Salke, president of Fox 21 TV Studios.

As well as “Black Match” and “Candy,” Moss and Love & Squalor are also developing a series called “Imperfect Women,” based on the upcoming book by Araminta Hall, and two films based on the novels “Smacked” by Eilene Zimmerman and “Idaho” by Emily Ruskovich.

In terms of her projects in a more advanced state, Moss is set to lead Daina Reid’s new feature film, “Run Rabbit Run.” The worldwide distribution rights to the picture were recently snapped up by STX at the Cannes Virtual Film Market.

Moss is repped by WME, Independent Talent Group, Ribisi Entertainment Group, Viewpoint and Hansen Jacobsen Teller.

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