Posted in: Hulu, TV | Tagged: "The Testaments", the handmaid's tale

The Testaments: Rowan Blanchard Joins "Handmaid's Tale" Spinoff

Rowan Blanchard has reportedly joined the cast of Hulu's adaptation of author Margaret Atwood's "Handmaid's Tale" sequel, The Testaments.

As fans continue to speculate over how the sixth and final season of Hulu and series creator Bruce Miller's Elisabeth Moss and Yvonne Strahovski-starring The Handmaid's Tale will wrap up the inspiring series, work is already underway on the next chapter with the streaming service's series adaptation of bestselling author Margaret Atwood's sequel novel, The Testaments. During our last update, we took a break from casting news to share who would be helming the opening episodes (more on that below). For this go-around, the spotlight shifts back to the cast, with Deadline Hollywood reporting exclusively that Rowan Blanchard (Poker Face, Snowpiercer) has joined the cast as a series regular.

Set several years after The Handmaid's Tale, the novel spotlights three women connected to Gilead: Aunt Lydia ("Handmaid's Tale" star Ann Dowd), Agnes (Chase Infiniti), and Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a young Canadian teen whose life is turned upside down when she discovers her connection to the Republic of Gilead. Mike Barker (The Handmaid's Tale, Fargo) will direct the opening three episodes and serve as an executive producer (with other directors still to be named). Blanchard's Shunammite is "a pampered teen from a prominent Gilead family whose status affords her a certain level of respect and power amongst her peers," according to the description that was released.

"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," Atwood shared about the upcoming adaptation when news of it was first announced.

During the final season of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, June's unyielding spirit and determination pull her back into the fight to take down Gilead. Luke (O-T Fagbenle) and Moira (Samira Wiley) join the resistance. Serena (Strahovski) tries to reform Gilead while Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) and Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) reckon with what they have wrought, and Nick (Max Minghella) faces challenging tests of character. This final chapter of June's journey highlights the importance of hope, courage, solidarity, and resilience in the pursuit of justice and freedom. The series also stars Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Sam Jaeger, Ever Carradine, and Josh Charles.

Based on Margaret Atwood's book, Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale is produced by MGM Television and executive produced by Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Eric Tuchman, Yahlin Chang, Elisabeth Moss, Sheila Hockin, John Weber, Frank Siracusa, Steve Stark, Kim Todd, Daniel Wilson, and Fran Sears. The series is distributed internationally by Amazon MGM Studios Distribution.

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