On Wednesday, one of the most anticipated television shows of the year, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” had its premiere on the streaming service Hulu. Reviews for the series have been rapturous, and it could provide Hulu with an elusive signature hit.

But none of this would have been possible without Danny and Fran.

Until recently, the production company run by Daniel Wilson, 87, and his business partner, Fran Sears, 70, had more or less been dormant. Work had dried up, and Hollywood had stopped getting in touch many years ago.

Whenever the phone rang, they assumed that people were “trying to find out if we were, in fact, still alive,” Ms. Sears said in a recent interview, laughing.

But Mr. Wilson had something special stowed away: He controlled a big chunk of the TV and movie rights to the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which he had made into an otherwise forgettable 1990 feature. If Hulu wanted to bring the story to television, it would have to deal with Daniel Wilson Productions.