The Testaments is the upcoming sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, which has aired its series finale. There’s exciting news! Read on, and we’ll tell you everything we know so far.
The Testaments
The Testaments was first a book, written by Margaret Atwood, and published in 2019. It’s the sequel to her novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, which was published in 1985. The dystopian novel has since been a very successful series with six seasons on Hulu. It follows June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) as she navigates society in the newly formed country of Gilead. The new series will follow her daughter, Hannah, now called Agnes.
It’s being called a coming-of-age story. And Variety shared this description, “For these young women, growing up in Gilead is all they have ever known, having no tangible memories of the outside world prior to their indoctrination into this life. Facing the prospect of being married off and living a life of servitude, they will be forced to search for allies, both new and old, to help in their fight for freedom and the life they deserve.”
The book starts 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale novel. However, because the series went beyond the source material, The Testaments series will start about 4 to 5 years after the series finale of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Filming began on April 7. And there is speculation that it may be released in mid- to late 2026.
The Cast
One prominent cast member is Ann Dowd. She’ll portray Lydia Clements in The Testaments. She’s no longer caring for Handmaids. Instead, according to TV Insider, she’s a leader for the Pearl Girls, who are a new social class. These are girls who choose to be in Gilead.
Agnes/Hannah will be played by Chase Infiniti. The 25-year-old actor has appeared in Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+. TV Insider shared additional information about Agnes, who chooses to train as an aunt to avoid being married off at a young age. She also becomes involved with Mayday, the organization that operates to resist Gilead.
Other cast members include Lucy Halliday, Rowan Blanchard, Mattea Conforti, Mabel Li, Amy Seimetz, Brad Alexander, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Eva Foote, Isolde Ardies, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Birva Pandya, and Kira Guloien.
Will June Osborne Appear?
It’s unclear whether June will make an appearance in the new series. However, we do know that Elisabeth Moss is an executive producer on the show. Fans should hold onto hope that June and Hannah will be reunited in the future. After all, June is tenacious.
What Can We Expect?
We know that Lucy Halliday’s character, Daisy, is a Canadian teen who learns she has a connection with Gilead and goes there by choice. That’s how she meets Agnes, who is working with Mayday. Since we know that Agnes gets involved with Mayday, we can guess that we’ll see a lot of her mother in her. She’s going to be a woman who takes action and doesn’t wait for someone to save her.
From other character details, it sounds like there’s going to be some conflict between girls from different families. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect when young people are involved. But then, the adults haven’t been much better.
Lydia will be an interesting character to watch. She doesn’t believe in the men who are in charge anymore. But she’s still devoutly religious and protective of the girls in her charge. After the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, there’s hope for Lydia working hard in The Testaments to prevent harm to the Pearl Girls as much as possible. She won’t be sanctioning abuse and torture like we saw at the beginning of the earlier series. It would be surprising if she did allow anything like that to happen again.
Wrap Up!
Now that we have some information on The Testaments and we’ve finished watching The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s time to get our hands on the sequel novel and schedule a rewatch before the new series debuts.
The stories told in these books and shows are often horrifying. But there’s a lot we can learn from stories. Take care of one another and be kind. That’s the best way to be. Don’t you think?
