These are exciting times for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale. When the book was originally published in 1985, it instantly became a seminal feminist novel, but it would take a further 32 years before audiences were gripped by the 2017 TV adaptation that starred Elisabeth Moss and Ann Dowd. This visceral retelling allowed Atwood’s story to spread to modern audiences, who have lapped it up greedily, desperate to know more as every season comes to an end. 

Earlier this month, we learned that the long-awaited sixth and final season of the dystopian drama would be premiering on Channel 4 very soon, but now we also know that The Testaments, the sequel based on Atwood’s 2019 novel of the same name, has gone into production, too. 

According to an Instagram post, production began on 7 April, and the cast list was also revealed, including the exciting news that Dowd will reprise her role as Aunt Lydia, with Moss serving as an executive producer on the series.

“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,” reads the description. “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.”

Fans of the original show will be pleased to hear that series regulars Amy Seimetz, Brad Alexander and Mabel Li have joined the cast of The Testaments, and Bruce Miller will continue to serve as showrunner. From what we know, Seimetz plays Paula, the hard-shelled homemaker and fearsome stepmother to Agnes (Chase Infiniti). Before she was renamed, Agnes was known as Hannah in The Handmaid’s Tale, in which the character was played by Jordana Blake. Alexander plays Garth, a young commander who becomes involved in the personal lives of the girls he’s sworn to protect. And Li plays Aunt Vidala, the stern heir-apparent to the women’s sphere of Gilead.

Also joining the cast are Zarrin Darnell-Martin as Aunt Gabbana, Eva Foote as Aunt Estee, Isolde Ardies as Hulda, Shechinah Mpumlwana as Jehosheba, Birva Pandya as Miriam and Kira Guloien as Rosa, alongside previously announced cast members Mattea Conforti, Chase Infiniti, Lucy Halliday, Ann Dowd and Rowan Blanchard.

Halliday will portray Canadian teenager Daisy, who discovers her chilling connection to the Republic of Gilead; Blanchard will play Shunammite, who hails from a privileged Gilead family; and Conforti will play Becka, a girl from humble origins who goes to school with Gilead’s elite and soon begins to question the regime.

A release date for The Testaments has yet to be confirmed, but one thing is for sure: we’re eager to see what’s in store for the young women of Gilead once more. 

Images: Hulu