There’s no rest in Gilead.
Just when fans thought they would be seeing the end of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu announced the spinoff, “The Testaments,” and they’re wasting no time to begin production.
The Post caught up with several stars and crew members of “The Handmaid’s Tale” at the show’s sixth and final season premiere in Hollywood, California, on Wednesday, April 2, where executive producer Warren Littlefield shared details about the recently announced sequel.
“The Testaments” will feature Ann Dowd’s “Handmaid’s Tale” character Aunt Lydia. AFP via Getty Images
Jordana Blake will also star in the sequel as Hannah (known in Gilead as Agnes). WireImage
“The Testaments” will center around Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Elisabeth Moss’ on-screen daughter Hannah (Jordana Blake), who goes by Agnes in Gilead.
Moss is set to produce the series alongside Littlefield as an executive.
“It’s based on Margaret Atwood’s sequel, her book, ‘The Testaments,’ and it’s a very different point of view,” he told The Post at the famed TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd.
“It’s young women coming of age in Gilead, four years after the killing of the harvest,” Littlefield continued. “It’s a different world, it is a different palette, it is a different population, so much is different, and yet… we’ll pull the veil back and reveal that, yes, we’re still in Gilead.”
“The Handmaid’s Tale” cast came together for a final time at the Season 6 premiere on Wednesday, April 2. Getty Images
Ann Dowd. FilmMagic
When asked when they would start filming the spinoff, Littlefield shockingly responded, “We start on Monday.”
Despite revealing that juicy nugget, he would not say if any of the other characters like Moss (June), Yvonne Strahovski (Serena), Bradley Whitford (Commander Joseph Lawrence), Samira Wiley (Moira), O-T Fagbenle (Luke) from “The Handmaid’s Tale” will pop up on TV screens in “The Testaments.”
“Anything else would be a spoiler,” he snickered.
The executive producer revealed the spinoff beings filming on Monday. ©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection
Jordana Blake in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” ©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection
Ann Dowd and Elisabeth Moss in Season 2. ©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection
While Littlefield will already be back on set next week, he didn’t want the spinoff to overshadow the upcoming last season of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which he shared is still being perfected.
“We’re finishing the episodes,” Littlefield told The Post. “We haven’t turned the final versions out.”
Moss directed the final two episodes of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Moss will also executive produce the spinoff. ©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection
Jordana has been playing Hannah for the past eight years. ©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection
Ann Dowd won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for “The Handmaid’s Tale.” ©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection
Her co-star Wiley said there’s a “level of trust” that she had never experienced before while being directed by her fellow actress and real-life pal.
“It’s so many things at once being able to see my friend who I’ve witnessed her growth and see her in that position of power,” Wiley stated at the premiere.
“I think that the relationship between Moira and June on-screen is definitely influenced by our relationship in real life.”
Elisabeth Moss directed the last two episodes of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Moss, for her part, revealed she has an advantage in the director’s chair.
“I think that being an actor helps me as a director, and being a director helps me as an actor,” she said. “I let them kind of help each other.”
Moss recently made headlines after revealing that a mystery crew member asked to keep her character’s underwear. She also dropped some expletives when asked what her gut reaction was when she read the final “Handmaid’s” scripts.
As for what fans can expect from Season 6 of the hit Hulu show, Littlefield warned viewers to “bring your Kleenex,” adding, “I think it’s really satisfying.”
The final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” drops on April 8 with three episodes.
