7 Shocking Secrets Revealed About 'The Testaments': Hulu's Handmaid's Tale Sequel Series

The dystopian world of Gilead is far from over. As of December 2025, the most significant update for fans of Margaret Atwood’s harrowing universe is the official premiere window for the highly anticipated sequel series, The Testaments. This continuation of The Handmaid’s Tale is set to debut on Hulu in April 2026, promising a deep dive into the crumbling foundations of the totalitarian regime 15 years after the events of the original story. The announcement, which included the unveiling of first-look images, was made during the CCXP 2025 event, confirming that production, which began in April 2025, is well underway.

The new series, based on Atwood’s 2019 Booker Prize-winning novel, shifts focus from June Osborne’s immediate struggle for freedom to a new generation and the perspective of a powerful, yet compromised, figure within Gilead. Fans can expect a narrative that is both a fresh start and a chilling continuation, exploring the lives of three women whose fates are intertwined with the future of the oppressive state and the resistance movement known as Mayday.

The Three Narrators: A New Generation and the Return of a Monster

The Testaments is structured around the perspectives of three central female figures, offering a multi-layered view of Gilead from the inside, the outside, and the very top. This shift in narration promises to be the most compelling and unique aspect of the sequel series.

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• Aunt Lydia (Reprising Ann Dowd): The most recognizable returning character, Aunt Lydia’s narrative is the backbone of the sequel. The novel reveals her dark, complex history and her secret role as a double agent, meticulously collecting information on Gilead’s Commanders and their wives. Ann Dowd, who won an Emmy for the role, will reprise the character, exploring her transformation from a brutal enforcer to a strategic, power-hungry figure with a secret agenda to destroy Gilead from within.
• Agnes Jemima (Cast: Chase Infiniti): Agnes is June Osborne’s older daughter, Hannah, who was taken from her mother and raised as a Commander’s daughter in Gilead. Now a teenager, she is being groomed for a marriage that will solidify her status, but she harbors a deep curiosity and growing rebellion against the confines of her gilded cage. Chase Infiniti, known for her work in Presumed Innocent, has been cast in this pivotal role, representing the women born into the system.
• Daisy / Nicole (Cast: Lucy Halliday): Daisy is June’s second daughter, Nicole, who was smuggled out of Gilead as an infant and raised in Canada. Living under the assumed name Daisy, she grows up in a world of freedom, only to be drawn back into the dangerous politics of Gilead as a young woman recruited by Mayday. Lucy Halliday, from the film Blue Jean, will portray Daisy, representing the outside world's fight against Gilead.

The series will weave these three narratives together, showing how the lives of the two sisters—one raised in Gilead and one raised in freedom—converge with the secret machinations of the formidable Aunt Lydia.

Production Updates, Release Date, and The Creative Team

The journey to bring The Testaments to the screen has been a rapid one following the conclusion of the original series. The final season of The Handmaid's Tale is expected to air in 2025, setting the stage perfectly for the sequel's debut.

The Road to April 2026

Hulu confirmed the April 2026 premiere date at CCXP 2025, a major milestone that signals the series is moving quickly through production. Principal photography for The Testaments officially began in April 2025. This timeline allows for a substantial post-production period to ensure the high-quality, cinematic look fans expect from the franchise.

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The creative continuity is strong, with Bruce Miller, the showrunner and executive producer of The Handmaid’s Tale, returning to lead the adaptation of Atwood's sequel. Miller's continued involvement is a major relief for fans, as it suggests the tone, visual style, and thematic depth of the original series will be maintained as the story moves forward. Warren Littlefield, another executive producer from the original, is also on board.

Will June Osborne Return? Elisabeth Moss’s Uncertain Future

One of the biggest questions looming over the sequel is the involvement of Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne. The original series spent six seasons following June’s harrowing journey, and her character’s fate at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 will directly set up the new series.

While June is the biological mother of both Agnes and Daisy, her role in the novel is minimal, appearing only briefly at the very end. The television adaptation, however, has a history of expanding and deviating from the source material.

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Current reports indicate that while there is a strong "hope" for Elisabeth Moss to reprise her role in The Testaments, her involvement is still "uncertain." Moss herself has suggested that the sequel series will pick up where the final moments of The Handmaid's Tale leave off, indicating a potential narrative bridge between the two shows. Given June's deep connection to the three main narrators, it is highly likely that she will appear, at least in a limited capacity, to provide a crucial link to the past and the final act of her resistance against the oppressive government. However, the show is clear: the focus is now on the next generation and Aunt Lydia’s complex legacy.

The World 15 Years Later: A Look at the New Gilead

The Testaments is set approximately 15 years after the final scenes of The Handmaid’s Tale, offering a look at a Gilead that is both more entrenched and more vulnerable. This time jump allows the series to explore the long-term consequences of the regime.

The series will explore the world through the eyes of young women who have only ever known Gilead. Agnes, for instance, has been raised with the rigid indoctrination of a Commander’s daughter, seeing the world through the lens of Gilead’s twisted religious laws. Daisy, on the other hand, is an outsider, a symbol of the free world's hope, who must now navigate the perilous realities of the totalitarian state.

Crucially, the sequel will delve into the internal power structures of Gilead. Aunt Lydia’s narrative will expose the elite, including the Commanders and their wives, revealing their hypocrisies and the moral rot at the heart of the Republic. The story promises a thrilling spy-thriller dynamic as Mayday works to bring down Gilead from the inside out, guided by the secret intelligence gathered by the most unlikely of revolutionaries: Aunt Lydia herself.

With a confirmed premiere date, a stellar cast, and the return of the original creative team, The Testaments is poised to be the most significant television event of 2026, offering a powerful, fresh perspective on Margaret Atwood's enduring cautionary tale. Blessed be the fruit, indeed—but the seeds of rebellion are now finally ready to bloom.