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"The Handmaid's Tale": Hulu, MGM Developing Margaret Atwood Sequel Novel "The Testaments" for Series

Well, here's one question fans of Margaret Atwood's upcoming The Handmaid's Tale sequel novel The Testaments won't be asking when it hits bookstores on Tuesday, September 10. In what should not be a surprise announcement, Hulu and MGM are looking to develop the novel to series. The Handmaid's Tale showrunner Bruce Miller is being consulted to see how The Testaments can work as an extension of the Elisabeth Moss-starrer's narrative, an important move considering how far it shave moved beyond the first novel.

For Atwood's part, the author has given the writers' room some interesting new characters and details to play with:

"What I have given them, in the locked writers' room that nobody's allowed into — including me — is a whole new whiteboard and a bunch of new characters. The story of the characters in the show at the moment is left open, so it's up to Bruce and the highly competent writing team as to how they get those people into position."

– Margaret Atwood

When the van door slammed on Offred's future at the end of The Handmaid's Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her—freedom, prison or death.

With The Testaments, the wait is over.

Margaret Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

"Dear Readers: Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've been living in."

– Margaret Atwood

Based on Margaret Atwood's award-winning, best-selling novel, The Handmaid's Tale is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted fundamentalism in its militarized "return to traditional values." As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is a Handmaid in the Commander's household, belonging to the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate the world. In this terrifying society, Offred must navigate between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead – with one goal: to survive and find the daughter who was taken from her. Also featuring Yvonne Strahovski and Samira Wiley.

The 13-episode third season of The Handmaid's Tale is driven by June's resistance to the dystopian regime of Gilead and her struggle to strike back against overwhelming odds. Startling reunions, betrayals, and a journey to the terrifying heart of Gilead force all characters to take a stand, guided by one defiant prayer: "Blessed be the fight."

"Margaret Atwood is one of the visionary storytellers of her generation. From her award-winning poetry, short-stories and novels, Margaret has continually pushed boundaries and broken barriers to bring innovative stories to life."

– Craig Erwich, SVP of Originals, Hulu

Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale stars Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley, and Bradley Whitford.

Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale comes from MGM Television and is created, executive produced and written by Miller. Moss, Warren Littlefield, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Ilene Chaiken, Eric Tuchman, and Mike Barker serve as executive producers. MGM serves as the international distributor for the series.

Entertainment Weekly

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