The Handmaid’s Tale returns for another season with Hulu, but the story continues with a sequel.
Another season of The Handmaid’s Tale concludes the story of the hit show on Hulu. The Hollywood Reporter has reported that the series has just been renewed for a sixth and final season on the streaming platform. The early renewal news comes days before the expected fifth season premiere. Series creator and showrunner Bruce Miller confirmed the news in a statement, which you can read below.
“It’s been a very, very, very luxurious time that I had to think about what happens at the end of this story and exactly how we want to get there as a company. I’m really glad we can do it on our own terms, because I know how lucky we are because of that – all the actors and creative people who put their hearts and souls into it – to finish the piece the way you want it. Letting the curtain fall the way you want is such a huge privilege.”
One bright spot in this situation is that there was already an endgame in mind that the show’s creative team had been working towards. Knowing that season six will be the last season has allowed Miller to plan carefully how to close this story
“I’ve been thinking about the end from the beginning. I’ve been thinking about the end of this story ever since I read it The Handmaid’s Tale the first time. It’s one of those books that only makes you think about the end when you’ve finished it. So in the end we stayed pretty close to what we thought in terms of story.”
The wills will continue the story of the maidservant’s story
The Handmaid’s Tale will end, but that’s not the end of the road for this saga. The world of Gilead expands with an all-new sequel series called the wills. While the new show will give fans something else to look forward to, it’s still bittersweet as fans still have to say goodbye to Elisabeth Moss. Miller described how the most difficult part of the transition will be from the stars of The Handmaid’s Tale.
“The show starts and you know what it’s about – it follows this woman’s story. So you know from the start that where you’re going to a certain point in this woman’s story. It’s not the June Osborne Tale, it is… The Handmaid’s Tale and a certain time of her life when she identified a certain way. When that time is over, we can happily, very happily, go into the wills, of which June’s story is part, but not central. It’s a perfect creative situation that we can let go, but we keep our bond with all of our characters we’ve built and loved, and with all the actors. The part that is heartbreaking and terrifying is leaving the actors behind.”
The fifth season of The Handmaid’s Tale premieres on Hulu for streaming on September 14, 2022.