While The Handmaid’s Tale has already established itself as an intense dystopian series since its debut in 2017, Season 6 will be upping the ante a little bit more. According to series executive producer Warren Littlefield, plenty of characters “won’t make it to the end” of the season finale.
Set to premiere in Spring 2025, the sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale started production in early September of this year. It was originally set to begin production in 2023 with a 2024 release date window but was delayed due to Hollywood strikes at the time.
What did Warren Littlefield say about the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale?
In an interview with Deadline, the executive producer teased that the season finale will be “chilling” and “exciting.”
“A lot of people won’t make it to the end of Handmaid’s Tale. It’s pretty chilling, but also exciting. I feel that Eric Tuchman & Yahlin Chang, who are the showrunners this year — Bruce, of course, remains an executive producer — they really, really thought a lot about what the audience wants and needs. And I think we will satisfy those who have been with us through six seasons, I think they’ll feel powerfully rewarded. Also, Lizzie has arrived as a directing force — that all happened over the course of Handmaid’s Tale — and it’s really appropriate that she is the director that takes us home,” said Littlefield.
Talking about the show’s relevance, the executive producer added: “While [Handmaid’s Tale] was developed in an Obama administration, when we were shooting, I think, Episode 4 of Season 1, Trump came to office and, while we thought and hoped and prayed that we would be less relevant a series, the longer we were on, the more relevant we became. Our thematics only got stronger, sadly, and today, as we think and discuss plans for Testaments. It feels like there’s a reason to keep this world alive.”
Based on Margaret Atwood’s classic novel of the same name, The Handmaid’s Tale centers on a totalitarian society wherein women are stripped of their basic human rights. Apart from Elisabeth Moss returning as June Osborne (also named Offred and later Ofjoseph), The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 will see the return of primary cast members including Max Minghella as Nick, Samira Wiley as Moira, Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford, O.T. Fagbenle as Luke, Madeline Brewer as Janine, Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, Bradley Whitford as Commander Lawrence, Amanda Brugel as Rita, Sam Jaeger as Mark Tuello, and Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam.
The first five seasons are available to stream on Hulu.
