Ever since we said goodbye to The Handmaid's Tale, there's one thing that's been keeping us going: the news that show's spin-off, The Testaments, is coming - and let's just say, change is coming! At long last, we've been gifted with the first trailer for the new series and, well, there's something rather chilling about it as we're about to enter a haunting new Gilead where a different regime is afoot.
Based on Margaret Atwood’s 2019 sequel to her iconic dystopian novel, The Testaments picks up the story more than 15 years after The Handmaid's Tale, and will see the return of Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, as well as new arrivals including Lucy Halliday and Rowan Blanchard. Showrunner Yahlin Chang has also teased that the sixth and final series of The Handmaid's Tale will have "cliffhangers for The Testaments, so it doesn’t conclude everything."
While we await the show's arrival on our screens this April, here's everything you need to know about The Testaments, including the plot, cast and how to watch it...
What is The Handmaid’s Tale about?
Adapted from Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, the award-winning series is set in a dystopian future where, following a Second American Civil War, a totalitarian society subjects fertile women called “Handmaids” to child-bearing slavery.
June (Elisabeth Moss) is one of those fertile woman; renamed Offred, she lives as a concubine to a Gileadan officer Fred Waterford and his wife Serena. The couple are key players in the formation and rise of Gilead, but they struggle with the realities of the society they helped create.
Though forced to agree to their strict rules and conditions, June fights to be freed and reunited with her husband Luke and daughter, Hannah, with much of series centred around June's desire and attempts to be reunited with them - and to take down Gilead. You can read all about The Handmaid's Tale's sixth season here.
What is The Testaments about?
Just like the original show, its spin-off, The Testaments, is based on a novel by Margaret Atwood - her 2019 sequel of the same name. Set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, it tracks the lives of three women - Aunt Lydia, along with new characters, Agnes (Chase Infiniti), and Daisy (Lucy Halliday).
In The Testaments, we're introduced to a rather strange new Gilead; it's polished, you might say, and there, Aunt Lydia is running an elite preparatory school for future wives, a place where obedience is instilled brutally and always with divine justification, According to the official synopsis, "their bond becomes the catalyst that will upend their past, their present, and their future."
In the original series, Agnes is the name given to June and Luke’s daughter, Hannah, after she’s kidnapped by Gilead and taken in by a commander and his wife. So, technically, we've met her before, only she was played by Jordana Blake.
As for Daisy, she's young Canadian teen whose life is turned upside down when she learns her connection to the Republic of Gilead. Rowan Blanchard will also join the cast as Shunammite. Shunammite is a pampered teen from a prominent Gilead family whose status affords her a certain level of respect and power amongst her peers.
Who's in the cast of The Testaments?
Fans of the original series will be pleased to know that Ann Dowd will reprise her role as the terrifying Aunt Lydia, a character who has become synonymous with Gilead's chilling regime.
The rest of the cast includes:
- Chase Infiniti (Presumed Innocent) as Agnes
- Lucy Halliday as Daisy
- Rowan Blanchard as Shunammite
- Mabel Li
- Amy Seimetz
- Brad Alexander
- Mattea Conforti
- Zarrin Darnell-Martin
- Eva Foote
- Isolde Ardies
- Shechinah Mpumlwana
- Birva Pandya
- Kira Guloien
Is there a trailer for The Testaments?
Yes, you can watch the trailer for The Testaments below.
How can I watch The Testaments?
The Testaments will premiere on Wednesday 8th April on Disney+ UK with three episodes, followed by weekly releases. In the meantime, you can watch The Handmaid's Tale series 1 to 4 on Prime Video.
