With all the casting announcements for The Testaments, it’s probably not of great surprise that The Handmaid’s Tale sequel is officially a go. However, it’s always good to see Hulu give a project the greenlight, as it means we can finally get very excited for it.
And it seems odd to say that we’re excited for the most depressing franchise right now. The Handmaid’s Tale and its upcoming sequel The Testaments were written as a warning of what could happen, and they feel like they’re slowly becoming a reality. Watching The Handmaid’s Tale isn’t pure entertainment right now, but it is still riveting TV.
The Testaments production begins with more casting additions made
So far, we know of the three female leads — one of which is Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia, which suggests she makes it through The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 — and two of the girls who are learning how to be Wives with Agnes. Chase Infiniti will play Agnes (who is also known as Hannah!), and Lucy Halliday will take on the role of Daisy (yes, Nichole!). We’ll also see Rowan Blanchard and Mettea Conforti as Shunammite and Becka, respectively.
Now we have the casting of a few other characters. The new cast is:
- Mabel Li is Aunt Vidala, the strictest of the Aunts.
- Brad Alexander plays a young Commander, who ends up personally involved with one of the girls.
- Eva Foote plays Aunt Estee, the youngest of the Aunts, who is viewed as the “cool” one.
- Amy Seimetz as Paula, who has recently marriage a high-ranking Commander, but doesn’t have the perfect life she envisioned.
- Isolde Ardies plays Hulda, a young girl who is full of excitement of what Gilead has to offer her as she becomes a woman.
- Zarrin darnell-Martin plays Aunt Gabbana, the right hand to Aunt Vidala, who believes in all the values of Gilead.
- Birva Pandya plays Miriam, a young girl who struggles with the pressure of marriage season.
- Kira Guloien plays Rosa, a Martha who is a maternal figure to Agnes and a source of love in a cold house.
- Shechinah Mpumlwana plays Jehosheba, who comes from a respected family and will fight hard for a high-status marriage.
The Hollywood Reporter shared a photo of the first table read, with each of the actors holding up their place cards to share who they are playing.
When could The Testaments arrive on Hulu?
With production just starting, it is possible that we could see The Testaments premiere on Hulu as early as next year. This would make sense with the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale wrapping this year. Hulu will want to keep up on the franchise to get eyes (no pun intended) on the sequel.
It takes around a year of production to get The Handmaid’s Tale ready. With much of the same crew working on the new production and Bruce Miller in charge, we’re sure to see something similar with this one.
What is The Handmaid’s Tale sequel about?
Based on Margaret Atwood’s sequel novel, The Testaments is set years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale — the book, at least. We’re sure to see the show set years later considering a certain Baby Nichole is all grown up!
It will follow the young women of Gilead who learn what they are expected to do in their future. For many of them, they are to become Wives, but what happens when that life doesn’t seem all that enticing anymore? And what happens when the Commanders start putting the young girls of Gilead at risk? As they face lives of marriage and servitude, they look for any allies they can to survive.
Get ready for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 premiering on Tuesday, April 8 and stay tuned for the latest updates about The Testaments.