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Culture April 1, 2025

'The Handmaid's Tale' to continue in new series with Ann Dowd and more

WATCH: Ann Dowd on bringing out her inner Aunt Lydia and why she almost became a surgeon

"The Handmaid's Tale" will get a follow-up series after it concludes its sixth and final season.

Hulu announced Tuesday that Margaret Atwood's 2019 novel, "The Testaments," which is a sequel to "The Handmaid's Tale," is being developed into a new series.

The streaming platform announced the news in an Instagram post with a photo of the series' stars gathered during a table reading.

Elisabeth Moss leads a rebellion in 'The Handmaid's Tale' final season trailer: Watch here
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The post stated that production on "The Testaments" will begin April 7, and "Handmaid's Tale" star Elisabeth Moss will serve as an executive producer on the series.

Atwood's novel takes place in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead, 15 years after the events of "The Handmaid's Tale."

It is narrated by three women: Agnes, a young woman living in Gilead; Daisy, a young woman living in Canada; and Aunt Lydia, who is a previous character from "The Handmaid's Tale" and is portrayed by Ann Dowd in the hit Hulu series.

PHOTO: Book cover for "The Testaments"
via Amazon
Book cover for "The Testaments"

According to Hulu, "The Testaments" series is a "coming of age story that finds a new generation of young women in Gilead grappling with the bleak future that awaits them."

"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," Hulu continues. "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."

PHOTO: Ann Dowd in "The Handmaid's Tale."
Hulu
Ann Dowd in "The Handmaid's Tale."

Dowd will return to her Emmy Award-winning role as Aunt Lydia in the new series.

Also starring in "The Testaments" are "Girl Meets World" star Rowan Blanchard as Shunammite, Chase Infiniti as Agnes, Lucy Halliday as Daisy, and Mattea Conforti as Becka.

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Mabel Li will play Aunt Vidala, who is described as "a stern disciplinarian" who is the "heir-apparent to the women's sphere of Gilead," according to Hulu.

Elisabeth Moss leads a rebellion in 'The Handmaid's Tale' final season trailer: Watch here
PHOTO: Margaret Atwood on the set of "The Handmaid's Tale."
George Kraychyk/Hulu
Margaret Atwood on the set of "The Handmaid's Tale."

Additionally, Amy Seimetz, Brad Alexander, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Eva Foote, Isolde Ardies, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Birva Pandya and Kira Guloien are slated to star in the new series.

The sixth and final season of "The Handmaid's Tale" will arrive April 8 on Hulu with the first three episodes.

PHOTO: Elisabeth Moss in "The Handmaid's Tale."
Steve Wilkie/Disney
Elisabeth Moss in "The Handmaid's Tale."

The award-winning series stars Moss, who portrays Offred/June, one of the few fertile women known as Handmaids in Gilead. The story follows her struggle to survive in Gilead.

Season 6 will follow June's journey of hope, courage, solidarity and resilience as she fights to take down Gilead.