‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: June’s Story Could Continue in ‘The Testaments’ Spinoff, Executive Producer Says
The Handmaid’s Tale has been renewed through season 5. And while it could have more than five seasons before June Osborne’s story is complete, showrunner Bruce Miller says her story could continue in the upcoming spinoff series, The Testaments.
Will there be a season 5 of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’?
Miller is the showrunner, executive producer, and writer of the Emmy-winning drama. Moss upgraded to director for season 4, having directed episodes 3, 8, and 9. Combine that with her acting performance and her role as an executive producer, and you’ve got one busy creative.
Miller told The Hollywood Reporter the coronavirus pandemic changed his plans for the future of the show, but also renewed his respect for Moss. As long as she’s willing to continue working on the show, he says, he will do his part to keep it running. He said:
“I certainly don’t [have a number of seasons in mind]. I always thought I did and that, I think, is a pandemic change. I thought I had a beginning, a middle and an end — and I still feel like I very much have an end — it’s just that I’m finding more interesting paths along the way and more interesting things to do as we move towards more fascinating parts of the story.”
The show has been green lit for season 5 by Hulu, with more possible seasons in the future.
Will there be a sequel to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’?
Those seasons could feature more in depth stories about supporting characters. As Miller said:
“Certainly, as you do research into what a life turns into after all kinds of trauma, all of that is really interesting to explore. I really do feel like now I’m starting to think about a wider world and what other people would be doing; what other interesting stories might be happening to Marthas, to wives, to girls and boys.”
Season 4 is largely focused on June’s story. But the season also shows more sides of June’s husband, Luke, than viewers have gotten to see in the past. And Janine’s backstory gets more explanation as well. Overall, the season makes more fully realized characters out of its supporting cast.
The story of Gilead won’t end with The Handmaid’s Tale, though. Hulu has already acquired the rights to adapt Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments into a TV series. The Testaments is the sequel to Atwood’s original 1985 Handmaid’s Tale novel. It came out in 2019.
Will Elisabeth Moss be in ‘The Testaments’?
The plot of The Testaments gives more backstory to what happened to Offred after the end of The Handmaid’s Tale. The 1985 novel ends with Offred being taken away by Eyes in a van and having no idea if it’s getting her out of Gilead or leading her to her death. She’s pregnant with her and Nick’s child at the time, which lines up with the end of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 1.
The Hulu series has been creating its own story ever since running out of book material in season 1. But Atwood’s new novel gives them even more opportunity to expand the world they’ve created. According to Miller, June will likely be involved in the spinoff.
“I’m hoping that we move onto The Testaments,” he said. “But that it isn’t as much of a numbers game of, ‘When do you want to end this?’ Because now I do feel like this is just the beginning of a bunch of interesting threads, so June will probably be part of those stories as well.”
“So, June’s story may not completely wrap up with The Handmaid’s Tale,” he continued. “I don’t know. I have an ending for June’s story; whether that comes in The Handmaid’s Tale or comes when we’re in another show may be a question. But, I read the novel; I know how it ends.”
Surely, the series finale of The Handmaid’s Tale (whenever it may be) will give a conclusion to the show. But whether Moss appears in flashback form or as a recurring character in The Testaments, it doesn’t seem that The Handmaid’s Tale will be the last we hear of June Osborne.
