We’re glad to share some positive news with The Handmaid’s Tale fans for a change because Gilead is a miserable, dreadful place to be. The program will really return for a fifth season! The cast officially announced the continuation of the series in December 2020, even before season four began. Check out the latest information on The Handmaid’s Tale season 5!
“We are pleased to be able to continue telling these tales with our wonderful cast and crew, and can’t wait to be back on the air with season four next year,” showrunner Bruce Miller said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Will this be the final season, though? Miller acknowledged that he “doesn’t know” if season five will be the show’s last appearance in a separate interview with THR:
He elaborated on it in an interview for Deadline‘s Contenders TV virtual event, saying: “I’m never seeking to terminate it… I’m not so ready to say, “Oh, you know, let’s just walk away,” because the crew produced a fantastic TV show.
According to Jordan Helman, head of scripted originals at Hulu (Maggie Season 2, Crossing Swords Season 3), it is crucial to end the program in a “creative manner that feels organic.” We still don’t have a solution, he said. I believe we will be able to respond to that query in the upcoming months.
And it appears that a spin-off television program based on recent works by Margaret Atwood may be the solution.
Since then, it has been revealed that a sixth season is also in production, so perhaps the story will still contain more horrific events and grim futures.
Let’s take a deeper look at what The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 has in store while we wait.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Release Date
The wait for The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 is almost over.
The well-liked Hulu show teased a first look and a release date. On Wednesday, September 14 on Hulu, a two-episode debut will begin with new episodes airing weekly after that.
Although there is no official release date for the UK yet, Channel 4 is anticipated to air it soon after.
New images demonstrate Serena, who was wearing a black veil, was smiling and looking down while June, who was wearing white, was looking up.
Commander Fred Waterford died at the end of season 4, brutally slain by June and her fellow former Handmaids.
Their expectant wife Serena, who had been given freedom in Canada, received his finger.
The actress who portrays June, Elisabeth Moss, recently gave a preview of what to anticipate in the new season.
I will admit that this season has been one of our wildest experiences yet, she remarked. There are seasons when a lot happens and seasons when not as much does. I am so far behind this season.”
And it’s not just lip service, she continued. I mean it when I say that there is so much action going on that I almost can’t keep up.
As a result, working so hard and spending so much time on location has been exhilarating and challenging, respectively. However, I’d say there’s never a dull time.
Because Alexis Bledel chose to depart her position as Emily, there won’t be any Emily in the forthcoming season, which will be a significant change.
She said, “After much deliberation, I decided I had to walk away from The Handmaid’s Tale at this time.”
“I will always be thankful to Hulu, MGM, the cast, and crew for their support, as well as to Bruce Miller for penning such real and moving passages for Emily.”
The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 cast: Who Will Be In It?
Even though June has already fled to Canada, Gilead is not exactly the safest place to be, thus no one in the cast is automatically safe.
But if most of the main characters do return, it appears that all of the following characters will feature in The Handmaid’s Tale season 5:
• Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne
• Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford
• Alexis Bledel as Emily
• Madeline Brewer as Janine
• Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia
• O-T Fagbenle as Luke
• Max Minghella as Nick
• Samira Wiley as Moira
• Bradley Whitford as Commander Lawrence
• Amanda Brugel as Rita
Added to the Handmaid roster is Hawaii Five-0 star Christine Ko.
The recurring role of Lily will be played by Christine Ko, a star of the comic series Dave. Since Lily has been characterized as “a gritty, resourceful Gilead refugee who is now a leader in the resistance organization,” there is no doubt that she will heighten the tension on the show.
Showrunner Bruce Miller said to Entertainment Weekly that we’ll “Without a doubt, I believe Fred will return. I mean, if I never saw Joe [Fiennes] again, I would die “.
When asked by TVLine if Serena would think June was to blame for the death of her husband, Strahovski responded, “Yes. I have a gut feeling that she will be aware. Given how well they know one another, I find it hard to believe she wouldn’t think of that. If and when Serena leaves the jail facility, I can see June deliberately telling her about it because she wants Serena to live in complete terror. Could you imagine, I mean?
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Plot: What Will Happen?
The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood provided the following explanation when the series first began:
“When it originally came out, people thought it was fantastical. However, as I was writing it, I took care to avoid adding anything that humans hadn’t already done somewhere, at some point.” (According to The Guardian.)
Although plot details are currently few, it is safe to assume that The Handmaid’s Tale will continue to examine June’s anguish after her flight from Gilead to Canada.
The actress who portrays Aunt Lydia, Ann Dowd, has already teased a shocking development in the season’s first few episodes.
“I’ve read the first few episodes, and all I have to say is that they are fantastic. I simply didn’t anticipate any of this. To be able to watch season five and wonder, “What?,” she said, according to The Independent.
Not in a way that makes you wonder, “Wait a minute, how could that happen?” she clarified. It makes you think, “That is amazing!” It’s excellent.
There are things that happen that make you go, “Woah, woah, woah,” continued Dowd.
There are other people as well as Dowd who are promising a thrilling fifth season. The show’s star, Moss, told viewers in an interview with TV Line that the upcoming season will deliver on the action.
According to June’s Moss, “I will say that the season itself is maybe one of the craziest experiences that we’ve had.”
“There have undoubtedly been seasons where a lot has happened. Not as much occurs during some seasons.”
“It’s not just lip service; I almost can’t keep up with what happens in the upcoming episodes, she continued. I mean it when I say that there is so much action going on that I almost can’t keep up.”
Moss affirmed that the ensemble had been working long hours to produce this exciting new season, as reported by Stylist. “Naturally, it has been difficult because it requires us to work extremely hard and spend a lot of time on location. But I would say that there is never a dull time.”
Although Moss remains mum on the remaining specifics, the cast has continued to tease.
Actress Samira Wiley, who plays Moira, previewed how the series will begin when she appeared on the chat show The View in March 2022 “Actually, we’re picking up right where we left off. Anyone who watched the season finale is aware of what transpired around Commander Waterford. As a result, June is now experiencing some difficulties.”
Samira mentioned June’s successful relocation to Canada and added: “She now has access to resources that she did not have when living in Gilead. So, let’s wait and see how that turns out. How June may battle Gilead with the aid of her friends while still in Canada.”
But will the frequently contentious torture-porn aesthetic endure?
Actress Amanda Brugel, who plays Rita, addressed the subject in an interview with Digital Spy last year: “I really believe that the best way to have an influence is to frighten people. Not so unpleasant that they flee, but enough of a jolt to get them to sit up and take notice.”
She also hinted at the level of intensity we could anticipate from the program in season 5. “I think it’s vital to show that we’re not even close to being done with our path,” she remarked, referring in particular to misogyny, violence against women, and gender equality.
Whether the show survives into season five will determine whether it has enough time to explore everything it wants to. Miller has previously said that as long as Elisabeth Moss is participating, The Handmaid’s Tale will “keep continuing.”
He told Deadline, “There’s a lot of life in this story. “What happened in The Testaments and whether that will be a part of our future intrigues me, for sure.”
