As the sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale is nearing its premiere next week, production on its sequel series The Testaments is ready to go with Hulu announcing the full cast that will join Chase Infiniti, Lucy Halliday and Ann Dowd in the Margaret Atwood adaptation. Ahead of its first day of filming next week on April 7th, a day before Handmaid’s finale season premieres, Hulu released a photo of the cast at their first table read was released with creator Bruce Miller and executive producer/director Mike Barker in attendance.
Featuring in the series will be Rowan Blanchard (Snowpiercer), Mattea Conforti (The Many Saints of Newark), Mabel Li (Safe Home), Amy Seimetz (Sweet Tooth), Brad Alexander (You), Zarrin Darnell-Martin (Ginny & Georgia), Eva Foote (Murdoch Mysteries), Isolde Ardies (Ruby and the Well), Shechinah Mpumlwana (The Fire Inside), Birva Pandya (The Love Club) and Kira Guloien (Women Talking).
The Testaments takes place years after The Handmaid’s Tale and is “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.”
- Infinity will play Agnes, who is better known to Handmaid’s Tale viewers as Hannah, the daughter of Elisabeth Moss’ June Osbourne that she has been attempting to rescue from Gilead for years now. Dowd will reprise her role as Aunt Lydia, an Aunt in charge of training the Handmaids and keeping a close watch on them.
- Halliday will play Daisy, a young Canadian teen whose life is turned upside down when she learns of her connection to the Republic of Gilead.
- Blanchard will be Shunammite, a pampered teen from a prominent Gilead family whose status affords her a certain level of respect and power amongst her peers.
- Conforti is Becka, a girl from humble origins who attends school with Gilead’s elite. As she comes of age, she starts to question whether she wants the life she’s being groomed for.
- Li plays Aunt Vidala, a stern disciplinarian and the heir-apparent to the women’s sphere of Gilead.
- Seimetz will be Paula. Her recent marriage to a high-ranking Commander has raised her social status, but her perfect life is complicated by her new step-daughter.
- Alexander plays Garth, a young Commander who becomes involved in the personal lives of the girls he’s sworn to protect.
- Darnell-Martin will play Aunt Gabbana, a firm proponent of Gilead values and right hand to Aunt Vidala, she is a strict and uncompromising educator.
- Foote is Aunt Estee, the youngest Aunt whose energy and kindness earn her “cool Aunt” status amongst her students.
- Ardies will be Hulda, a guileless girl, full of excitement at the prospect of womanhood. Her frank observations and optimism have earned her loyal friends.
- Mpumlwana plays Jehosheba, a competitive classmate from a respected family who is relentless in her pursuit of a high-status marriage.
- Pandya plays Miriam, a girl on the cusp of womanhood who struggles under the pressure of marriage season.
- Guloien plays Rosa, a caring and dedicated Martha, Rosa is a maternal figure to Agnes and a much-needed source of love in an otherwise cold household.
The Testaments is created by Bruce Miller, who serves as showrunner and executive producer. Barker is executive producing as well as directing the first three episodes of the first season. Moss is also executive producing alongside Warren Littlefield and MGM Television.
The Handmaid’s Tale will premiere its final season on April 8th.
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