Hulu’s highly anticipated The Handmaid’s Tale spinoff, The Testaments, is officially in development—but what details are known about the upcoming series so far?
Margaret Atwood’s dystopian world first came to life with The Handmaid’s Tale, based on her novel of the same name. The story explores a future where declining fertility rates have led to women being assigned to men for the sole purpose of bearing children.
Since the show’s premiere in 2017, the cast has been led by Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley, and Amanda Brugel.
The announcement of The Handmaid’s Tale’s sixth and final season came just ahead of the season 5 premiere in September 2022. Around that time, series creator Bruce Miller stepped down as showrunner to focus on The Testaments, while executive producers Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang took over the primary responsibilities for the flagship drama.
“We are ending our show on our own creative terms,” Miller told Entertainment Weekly in 2022 before his transition. “Do I know what happens in season 6? Yes, I did think about the stuff that happens in season 6 for a while.”
Expanding the World of The Handmaid’s Tale
Although The Handmaid’s Tale is ending, its world will continue with a spinoff set 15 years later. Atwood’s follow-up novel, written after the original show’s adaptation, follows three women as they recount Gilead’s fate after June (Moss) was taken and Aunt Lydia (Dowd) was revealed to be working as a mole for Mayday.
Where is The Testaments Set?
The new series takes place 15 years after The Handmaid’s Tale and is narrated by Aunt Lydia. Viewers will be reintroduced to the dystopian world, this time through new characters such as Agnes from Gilead and Daisy from Canada.
The two young women secretly gather and smuggle damaging information about Gilead’s oppressive regime out of the country. As part of their mission, Agnes and Daisy disguise themselves as “Pearl Girls” to infiltrate Canada, while Aunt Lydia continues to operate as an inside source within Gilead.
Is The Testaments Based on a Book?
Yes, The Testaments is a 2019 novel that serves as a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. The story unfolds through a manuscript written by one woman, supplemented by the testimonies of two others. The book introduces a rebellious movement determined to dismantle Gilead from within.
The Vision for the New Series
Since its release, The Testaments has been experienced both as a novel and as an audiobook, with Dowd reprising her role as Aunt Lydia in the narration.
In the audiobook version, Agnes was voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard, while Daisy, also known as Nichole, was portrayed by Mae Whitman. The epilogue also featured performances by Tantoo Cardinal, Derek Jacobi, and Atwood herself.
Atwood has spoken about her approach to writing the sequel, explaining how she wanted to explore the collapse of Gilead.
“Although I could not continue with the story of Offred, I could continue with three other people concerned in these events and tell the story of the beginning of the end, because we know from The Handmaid’s Tale that Gilead vanishes,” Atwood said at a 2019 press event.
“It’s no longer present 200 years into the future, because they’re having a symposium on it. How did it collapse? How do these kinds of regimes disappear? I was interested in exploring that.”
She also teased new costume designs for the sequel, explaining, “Human beings throughout time love outfits that tell you who you’re looking at, like football teams and things like that. So yes, we have some new outfits.”
Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale’s run, Atwood remained involved, regularly consulting with Miller.
“I read the scripts; I make notes on them,” she shared. “I have influence but no actual power. But luckily we’re in accord most of the time.”
When Will The Testaments Premiere on Hulu?
Hulu and MGM previously announced their plans to develop the sequel series, though no additional updates have been released regarding its progress. The expectation is that The Testaments will premiere after The Handmaid’s Tale concludes in 2025.
Will Characters From The Handmaid’s Tale Appear in The Testaments?
Ann Dowd is confirmed to reprise her role as Aunt Lydia. In October 2022, she shared her excitement about the project with Entertainment Weekly, having already worked on the audiobook version of The Testaments. She described the novel as “brilliantly written” and “extraordinary.”
Fans are also hopeful that Elisabeth Moss will return as June, given that her daughters—Nichole and Hannah (known as Daisy and Agnes in the novel)—are central to the spinoff’s story.
While the characters will be aged up from their previous appearances, The Handmaid’s Tale has frequently used flashbacks and recorded messages to bring characters back, making it possible for June to return in some capacity.
Newcomer Chase Infiniti has been cast as Agnes.
