The Handmaid’s Tale Sequel The Testaments Scheduled to Begin Shooting in London in December

The filming of Hulu’s dystopian series ‘The Testaments,’ which serves as a sequel to the famed show ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ is scheduled to begin in London in December. Based on the eponymous novel by Margaret Atwood, the series begins fifteen years after the events of the original show.

“The theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results. Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third: Aunt Lydia,” reads the logline.

Although there is a production plan in place, the shooting in London can be affected by the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The English capital is expected to double for the Republic of Gilead, likely replacing Ontario and Washington, the primary filming locations of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ London previously hosted the shooting of several recently released projects such as ‘Barbie,’ ‘The Flash,’ ‘Red, White & Royal Blue,’ ‘Heart of Stone,’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ etc.

Bruce Miller, who created the original series for Hulu, is at the helm of the sequel as its showrunner. Miller previously wrote several episodes of acclaimed and renowned shows such as ‘The 100’ and ‘ER.’

“‘The Testaments’ was an independent curveball created by Margaret Atwood for the series I was working on. I think she had had it in her head for a while. I tried as much as possible, and I’m still trying, to not really make ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ about ‘The Testaments,’” Miller told THR. “The way Margaret did it, which is wonderful, is that you close one and you say, ‘I don’t have to open that. But let’s open the next one and see what’s in there. It could be anything.’ It is a continuation, but it’s more like a separate chapter. The horizons are more limitless,” he added about the upcoming series.

Back in September 2022, Miller was adapting the novel to the framework of a TV show, a feat he commendably did before with ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ “Because the worlds are slightly different with timing, and all the things that are different between a television show and a novel, I have to figure out all of those little things. I’m trying to lay the groundwork,” he said in the same THR interview. Miller stepped down as the showrunner of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ to focus on the sequel in March 2023. Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang are co-showrunners of the original series’ sixth and final season, which is expected to come out in 2024.

The cast of the sequel series is yet to be announced. We can expect Ann Dowd to reprise her character Aunt Lydia, one of the major characters in the source novel, in the same. It is not yet known whether Elisabeth Moss’ June Osborne/Offred will be a part of the sequel. The rest of the major characters are a young woman raised in the oppressive Gilead and a Canadian teen who learns that she was born in the theocratic regime.

Hulu is teaming up with MGM Television, The Littlefield Company, and White Oak Pictures for the production of ‘The Testaments.’ Atwood is expected to be a part of the show as a consulting producer, the same role she has in the original series.