In an interview with Deadline, Craig Erwich, president of the Disney Television Group and responsible for Hulu Originals content, said the sixth season would enter production this summer for a 2025 start date. The series was renewed in September 2022 with its sixth and final season, just before the start of season five.
Season five follows June (Elisabeth Moss) in the aftermath of the murder of Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and the consequences she faces for her role in the gruesome murder. At the very least, she will have to compete against his widow Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and, on some level, Gilead. But most of all, she will be forced to redefine her identity and purpose, now forever changed.
Meanwhile, Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) teams up with Nick (Max Minghella) and Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) as he attempts to reform Gilead and rise to power. But who knows what the commander and Nick, who helped June frame Waterford for the murder, have up their sleeves?
Still in Canada, June, with the help of Luke (O.T. Fagbenle) and Moira (Samira Wiley), fights Gilead from a distance as they continue their mission to rescue and reunite with her daughter Hannah.
The fifth season also stars Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Sam Jaeger and McKenna Grace.
A sequel to creator Bruce Miller's series, The Testaments, is actively in development. The new series is based on the novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood and picks up years after the events of season six.
The Handmaid's Tale is produced by MGM Television and executive produced by Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Elisabeth Moss, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Eric Tuchman, Yahlin Chang, Rachel Shukert, Sheila Hockin, John Weber, Frank Siracusa, Steve Stark and Kim Todd. The series is distributed internationally by MGM.
