The Testaments TV Show: What We Know So Far
The Hulu adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale might be nearing its end, but the streamer doesn’t plan to loosen its grip on the famed Margaret Atwood saga. Next up will be The Testaments, an adaptation of Atwood’s Handmaid’s sequel, which was published in 2019—more than three decades after its predecessor.
The Testaments takes place more than 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale and will pick back up inside the Republic of Gilead, a dystopian theocracy built on what former Handmaid’s Tale showrunner Bruce Miller called “a perversion, misreading of Old Testament laws and codes.” The story follows three women—Aunt Lydia, Agnes, and Daisy—as their lives weave together under Gilead’s iron fist.
Here’s what we know about the new series so far.
Who is developing The Testaments?
Hulu and MGM Television scooped up the rights to Atwood’s sequel before it even hit shelves, and per The Hollywood Reporter, Miller has been hard at work on developing The Testaments for “several years.” As he did with Handmaid’s, he will lead The Testaments as showrunner.
He stepped down as showrunner for The Handmaid’s Tale ahead of its sixth and final season to focus on The Testaments, opening the door for executive producers and writers Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang to take over Handmaid’s closing season.
Who’s in the cast?
So far, we only know the three main cast members. Deadline reports that Ann Dowd will reprise her Handmaid’s role as Aunt Lydia, while Chase Infiniti (Presumed Innocent) will step into the role of Agnes and newcomer Lucy Halliday (Blue Jean) will play Daisy.
According to Deadline, “the hope has been” for Handmaid’s lead actress Elisabeth Moss to reprise her role as June in The Testaments, but it is “uncertain whether that would happen.”
When will The Testaments start filming?
The final season of The Handmaid’s Tale is set to drop this April, and with The Testaments in active development, Deadline reports that filming could begin as early as this month.
This story will be updated.