The Testaments (TV series)
The Testaments is an upcoming American dystopian drama television series produced for Hulu, based on the 2019 novel The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. It serves as a narrative continuation to The Handmaid's Tale created by Bruce Miller.
Premise
Set five years after the series finale of The Handmaid's Tale, The Testaments is described as 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. 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.Cast and characters
- Chase Infiniti as Agnes MacKenzie, a girl at the top of the heap in Gilead who is gradually finding out who she is. She realizes she is in danger because of the structure of Gilead society and begins to feel rebellious.
- Lucy Halliday as Daisy, a young Canadian teen whose life is turned upside down when she learns a horrifying family secret that links her to Gilead.
- Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, the headmistress of a school for the daughters of Gilead’s most senior leadership. She has her eyes wide open to what the regime really is at its core and believes she can reform it through educating the next generation. She slowly comes to realize the entire Gilead experiment may need to be toppled.
- Rowan Blanchard as Shunammite, a pampered teen from a prominent Gilead family whose status affords her a certain level of respect and power amongst her peers.
- Eva Foote as Aunt Estee
- Kira Guloien as Rosa
- Amy Seimetz as Paula
- Brad Alexander as Garth
- Birva Pandya as Miriam
- Zarrin Darnell-Martin as Aunt Gabbana
- Mattea Conforti as Becka Grove
- Shechinah Mpumlwana as Jehosheba
- Mabel Li as Aunt Vidala
- Isolde Ardies as Huldah
Production
Development
In March 2023, Bruce Miller stepped down as showrunner of The Handmaid's Tale in order to focus on adapting The Testaments for television.In February 2025, The Testaments was nearing a series greenlight. Miller would executive produce alongside fellow Handmaid's Tale executive producer Warren Littlefield of The Littlefield Company, with MGM Television as the studio.
In March 2025, it was announced that Mike Barker would direct the first three episodes and also executive produce the series.
In April 2025, Hulu officially ordered The Testaments to series. The Handmaid's Tale lead Elisabeth Moss would executive produce the project alongside Miller, Littlefield, Barker, Steve Stark, Shana Stein, Maya Goldsmith, John Weber, Sheila Hockin, Daniel Wilson, and Fran Sears. Priscilla Poriand would serve as co-executive producer.
Casting
In February 2025, Chase Infiniti was cast as the lead character Agnes, joining The Handmaid's TaleIn March 2025, it was announced that Lucy Halliday joined the series as co-lead Daisy. The same month, it was announced that Rowan Blanchard and Mattea Conforti joined the cast as Shunammite and Becka, respectively.
In April 2025, it was announced that Mabel Li, Amy Seimetz, Brad Alexander, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Eva Foote, Isolde Ardies, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Birva Pandya, and Kira Guloien joined the cast as Aunt Vidala, Paula, Garth, Aunt Gabban, Aunt Estee, Hulda, Jehosheba, Miriam, and Rosa, respectively.