Handmaid's Tale Season 6: In Production! Will Release In 2025?

The Handmaid’s Tale has remained one of the most-watched series on Hulu, and there’s no denying that. Since its debut, it has created a fanbase separate from its novel series. While the epic fifth season has left the fans on their toes, many wonder when Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 will return. It’s been two years, and we haven’t heard of the series yet. Is it still happening? While several questions are running back of the fans’ minds, you will be surprised to learn that the show is still on the horizon. So, keep reading to know every detail of the show.

Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel series The Handmaid’s Tale, the series features a dystopia following the Second American Civil War. It has led to a decline in the fertility rates, causing the Gilead government to take some strict action. Since the situation was challenging, the Gilead government forced the fallen women to work as Handmaids to bear the children of the ruling elite. Since the show has taken a new angle, let’s see how things will move now.

Handmaid’s Tale Season 6: Latest News

The Handmaid’s Tale is back, and so is Elisabeth Moss. She will return as the series director for four episodes, including the pilot, the second, the penultimate, and the series finale. Well, it isn’t the first time she has directed the show. She previously directed three episodes of seasons 4 and 5. During an interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2021, Elisabeth discussed her experience directing the fourth season.

Moss said she was initially about to direct only one episode, but they didn’t have a director back then, so she stepped forward to direct four episodes, and surprisingly, she loved it. Besides this, Bruce Miller is stepping back from the executive producer duty. Instead of him, Yahlin Chang and Eric Tuchman will step in as the series co-showrunners.

As for Miller’s exit, he is currently busy producing the Handmaid’s Tale spinoff The Testaments, which is currently in development. While Miller has stepped back from his position, he still remains the series writer and executive producer.

Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Is Renewed!

While the fifth season turned out to be epic, fans were excited to see how the future story arc concludes June Osborne’s story arc. A lot had happened in the previous season. June left the slave’s life and now is ready to take charge of her life. Since the storyline is progressing in a better way, fans have been expecting a fast renewal.

Guess what? Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 was announced ahead of the fifth season’s release in September 2022. The showrunner Bruce Miller also shared his gratitude for returning to the series. Miller shared an impactful story: “It has been a true honor” he added, “to tell the story of Margaret Atwood’s groundbreaking novel.” They are now thrilled to return with the sixth and final season.

Miller added that they were grateful to MGM and Hulu for letting them tell this story. He said the streaming platform has remained faithful to this series, and they are also grateful to the incredible fans for their support, as without them, they wouldn’t have reached this point. Meanwhile, Moss shared that the upcoming series will be “big and wild.” The series lead actor shared that the final energy is bombastic and will bring surprises in everyone’s life.

Season 6 Is Still In Production

The sixth and final season was announced in September 2022. However, the series didn’t enter the production phase the same year. Initially, the filming was set to start in 2023, but it didn’t happen. Due to the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes, the filming was later delayed. Since the series hadn’t entered the writing phase back then, it became challenging for Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 to begin filming in 2023 despite the strike being resolved.

But don’t fret! That’s because just two days ago, The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 officially entered production. The series official Instagram account shared a photo of Moss holding a clapperboard. It read, “Guess who’s back? Production on the final season has officially started.” Shortly after this post, fans took to the comment section to share their excitement. A fan wrote, “I have been DYING for this season to come out.” Another fan wrote, “Perfect!! That’s enough time to watch the entire series again so I can be ready!!”

Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Cast Details

In the final season, we will see the fan-favorite character again on our screen. These include Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne, Bradley Whitford as Commander Lawrence, and Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford. Max Minghella as Nick and Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia will also return. O.T. Fagbenle will also return as Luke, along with Samira Wiley as Moira and Madeline Brewer as Janine.

The other cast members include Amanda Brugel as Rita, Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam, and Sam Jaeger as Mark Tuello. In addition, a new cast member is joining the series. In July 2024, the news surfaced that Josh Charles would join the series’ final season. However, his character details remain unclear. This will be Charles’ second onscreen collaboration with Moss after their spy thriller series The Veil.

What To Expect Next In Handmaid’s Tale Season 6?

There are no specific details about the sixth season, but the series creator, Miller, has revealed how things will move now. In an interview with DigitalSpy, the creator expressed frustration with the abrupt ending of Margaret Atwood’s book series. Since the book abruptly ended, Miller wished to extend the narrative. He said everybody was like, how could he extend the narrative? Who allowed him to do so? However, Miller remained firm and decided to work on the storyline.

The series creator also confirmed that the series’ ending would be different. Handmaid’s Tale would conclude on its own terms. Miller continued that the series would give the audience a natural conclusion, which would be totally different from the novel series. “It’s something we never get with just the way the business is set up.” Most importantly, it is something nobody will give the audience. Meanwhile, Moss shared that the sixth season will focus on June and Serena’s complex relationship.

In a Happy Sad Confused podcast, Moss shared that the final season will be crafted in a way which will focus on the complex relationship between Serena and June. She added there’s no June without Serena and no Serena without June. Since their relationship has become more complicated, it is intriguing to see how their relationship will be played off.

Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Ending Explained

In the fifth season’s finale, tensions rose to their peak as June’s life was under threat. After dodging the shooting incident, June decided to wear a bulletproof vest. However, her enemies had other plans to kill her. Nick was concerned about her safety and decided to join the U.S. government to protect her. Despite Nick trying his best to protect June, his confrontation with Lawrence at his wedding results in Nick being sent behind bars. While he met his wife there, she left him for his unresolved feelings for June.

As for June, she narrowly survived an accident. Gilead government was behind her and mapped a plan to kill her via a hit-and-run attack by a truck. Fortunately, she survived the attack, and later, Luke attacked the driver. He hit the attacker until he died. Since things had turned dramatic, June insisted they flee. But Luke was aware of his fate and sacrificed himself to make sure June and their daughter, Nichole, could escape. The mother and daughter did escape and later met Noah and Serena on their boarded train.

Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Release Date

As of now, the production committee hasn’t yet announced the show’s release date. However, filming has just begun. Typically, filming takes a year or more to wrap up. Considering this, it’s hard to guess that the show will return this year. But don’t worry. Moss has teased that The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 will air in the spring of 2025. Although it’s a tentative date, fans will soon hear an official announcement. So, let’s wait till then. This is all for now. Stay with TechRadar247 for more such updates.