The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6: Release date expectations, confirmed cast, filming updates and more

The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 is not coming in March 2023

 There is a fitting end to every tale, and it seems like The Handmaid’s Tale is taking its final breath. 

But after five seasons, do you think June will go into the night gently?

August 2023 was the month the production had promised to begin filming, even when they learned about the initial strike situation. But it seems like they underestimated just how far the writer’s and actors’ unions can go to get their rights secured when uncertainty over wages and artificial intelligence taking over jobs looms over the industry. That is why, even after three months of non-stop protest, they are unable to reach the end of the tunnel. This is particularly unfortunate for the encyclopedic fandom that the show has garnered over the course of five gallantly crafted seasons.

The fans are left wondering: When will The Handmaid’s Tale be able to sing its swan song?

Ahead of the finale of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, Hulu renewed Season 6 back in September 2022 for one last time before catapulting it into the spin-off ‘The Testaments.” We are yet to see how the Season ends and develops a plotline for the spin-off.

In her pursuits to escape from Gilead (in Toronto), a burning desire to be reunited with her daughter, and a reconciliation montage between two women on the train, what does The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 have in store for us?

Continue reading because we have gathered all the necessary information regarding Season 6.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6: New Release Date Expectations

The Handmaid's Tale Season 6: Will there be new updates in July?

Despite its renewal back in September 2022, ahead of Season 5, there is still no official word out for a specified release date for the final season. All schedules were set, and the bed of roses was laid for the grand arrival of the finale in 2023 when an unfortunate event turned the fate of Hollywood upside down. If you have been closely following the updates of the industry, you know we are speaking about the WGA strike and the SAG AFTRA strike that shook Hollywood to its very core! 

In February 2023, Bradley Whitford(Commander Lawrence) said filming wouldn’t begin until August.

“I just heard we’re not going back until August,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I don’t know what the logistical reason for that is… As you know, there’s a lot of labor issues that need to be solved in Hollywood.”

However, it is important to note that we are in the month of August, and no hopes for the strike to simmer down have shown up. This means the filming process will invariably be delayed further.

Further, Moss told Elle,

“It feels like it’s going to be so long until you guys get to see anything else. And I apologize personally for that, but every season we do gets bigger, and it takes longer to make every time. And because it’s the final season, we really want to make sure that it’s exactly what we want to do.”

This new status quo has been prevalent for the past three months, and it looks like it will remain so for at least a few more weeks. In a recent meeting held for the first time in more than three months, the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Friday failed to reach an agreement to resume contract negotiations. Their inability to agree on terms for returning to the bargaining table comes after their much-anticipated meeting to discuss a possible resumption of talks.

“As of now, there is no agreement on these items, because the AMPTP said they needed to consult with their member studios before moving forward,” the union said in a statement last Friday.

Until then, we can only make a predicted guess, assuming that the strike does end within the next two months. Given that the whole process will take about over a year, we can expect the sixth and final season to arrive by 2024 fall. Additionally, in the 2022 New Year’s Eve special of The Graham Norton Show, Madeline Brewer, who plays Janine, told the host: “We have one more season, and that’ll be coming in 2024.” 

As the premiere date inches closer to us, we will be given an official date of release, and we at Web News Observer will surely update you on the same.

It will be ideal for the creators to take some time off and reflect on how the story will progress after this hiatus. Hence, the fans should wait and keep an eye on the show’s social media handles for all the latest details and updates. In order to receive updates on when the show premieres, interested viewers can also enable notifications. Additionally, the official Twitter handle also confirmed the renewal of the show, quoting, “We can’t keep this a secret any longer. #TheHandmaidsTale will return for a 6th and final season on @hulu.!”

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Cast: Who Will Reprise Their Roles?

handmaids Tale 3
Credits: Hulu

As of writing these, we know that the release dates for the final season have not been announced yet, so we do not have a detailed assessment of the confirmed cast for the final season. However, here is a cast list of all the members who ought to reprise their roles for Season 6 in 2024:

  • Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne (Bagged an Emmy nomination for her stellar performance in Season 5)
  • Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford
  • O-T Fagbenle as Luke Bankole
  • Max Minghella as Commander Nick Blaine
  • Samira Wiley as Moira Strand
  • Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence
  • Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia
  • Sam Jaeger as Mark Tuello
  • Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue
  • Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo

According to Deadline, it has been confirmed that Jeremy Shamos will appear as a guest star in Season 6.

In other light, it is true that Miller has officially stepped down as showrunner of The Handmaid’s Tale in order to focus on adapting The Testaments for television. Instead, he will assist the co-runners, Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang, in writing two episodes for Season 6.

Unfortunately, Alexis Bledel won’t be seen in the final season following the significant reduction in screen time of Emily in Season 4, following the character being written out completely in the following season. Alexis issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly at the time that said:

“After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid’s Tale at this time. I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast, and crew for their support.”

In that light, upon further speculation in the upcoming weeks and months to follow, in the event that we do come across significant cast shakeups and developments, you can trust us to inform you of the same.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Plot: Spoilers For The Final Season

handmaids Tale 2
Credits: Hulu

Over the course of five seasons and several bouts of bloodshed and escapism later, we sit in eager anticipation as the curtain-closing season approaches us. Will June avenge her losses and suck up to the oppressive regime of Gilead? Or will she and her handmaids succumb to their impending loss and go gently into the night?

*Major Spoilers Follow*

We don’t know about the losing part, but going gently into the night is not cut out for June. She is finally ready for revenge, and from the looks of it, Season 6 will serve it cold with a side dish of bloodshed!

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the showrunner also teased that Nick and June have some unfinished business in the final season.

“I feel like this is the most romantic Nick/June season ever because they spend the whole time trying to convince themselves that they don’t need to be together.” Further adding, “And by the end, they are not successful at all. They fail entirely. They don’t even see each other in the last episode, and they’re so in love they can’t think about anything else.”

Moreover, executive producer Bruce Miller said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he doesn’t expect there to be a big time jump when the show returns, which is a great sign of direction for the series conclusion, quote,

“We don’t tend to jump very much in time,” he said. “And it’s simply because my brain doesn’t work that way. I’m like, ‘What happens next?’”

The final season will also pick up elements from the fifth season in which June faces the consequences for her past actions, Serena attempts to raise her profile in Toronto, Commander Lawrence works with Aunt Lydia to reform Gilead, and June, Luke, and Moira fight Gilead and continue their mission to save Hannah. Moreover, the season ended with a big cliffhanger that has excited the fandom more than ever to know the outcome!

The final scene saw June and Serena get on the same train leaving Toronto. Does this signify a fateful reunion between the two women who have a strained relationship from the start? Since this is probably a resolution season, we might see the two join forces to take down Gilead once and for all! But before they embark upon the path to revenge, they must face the demons within them and fix their relationship.

June is on the run, and Luke’s capture by the dark forces leaves the fans wondering about their future. Thankfully, we have the next season to highlight this. It will be unusual for Luke to remain in prison throughout. But as June and Serena reunite to take down Gilead, whose growing power in Canada is concerning, Luke and June may reunite and continue their story. Maybe we will get to watch them walk into the sunset. The same also goes for their daughter, Hannah, who remains in Gilead and is further away from being saved than ever before heading into The Handmaid’s Tale season 6.

Additionally, in a recent interview, The Handmaid’s Tale’s Yvonne Strahovski has hinted at what fans can expect to see in the hit series’ upcoming season – and it looks like things could be changing for Serena Joy.

Speaking with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the actress said she probed the writers to tell her what is in store for the cast, admitting: “I did ask them, I went in and asked them what the trajectory is.”

Explaining the reasoning behind her need to know, Yvonne continued: “I mean I like to know because there’s so many twists and turns and there’s so many you know up and downs and I kind of wanted to know where I find the baseline in all of that.
“So I can kind of get a better handle on it all and create that emotional rollercoaster,” she added.

The 41-year-old star noted: “I don’t know, I mean I think I know there’s a lot of people who are like, ‘Oh it’ll be great to see Serena come around and be on the good side,’ but I don’t know if I feel the same way.
“Not because I want her to remain on the bad side but because I want her to get what she deserves in a lot of ways.

“And we did touch on that in season five – because you know living with the Wheelers and having nowhere to go, birthing a baby in a barn and it was like end game for her, like she really hit rock bottom.

“And look where she is now, where we ended off,” Yvonne went on to say, referring to the nail-biting cliffhanger fans were left on at the end of season five after Serna nabbed Noah back from the Wheelers.

Yvonne then detailed how she wants the sixth and final season of the dystopian series to play out.

“I think I will feel satisfied, even though she is kind of like my best friend because she lives and breeds in me in that way, I still want her to have what she deserves – which isn’t good if that makes sense.”

Looks like Season 6 will give us a more detailed account of the unfinished story between Serena and June.

Also, to understand where Season 6 might take off from, we have compiled a list of episodes for Season 5:

S1.E1 ∙ Offred
May 28, 2017
Offred, one of the few fertile women known as Handmaids in the oppressive Republic of Gilead, struggles to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a powerful Commander and his resentful wife.

S1.E2 ∙ Birth Day
June 4, 2017
June and her fellow Handmaids assist with the delivery of Janine’s baby, prompting her to recall her own daughter’s birth and draw closer to Ofglen while dreading a secret meeting with the Commander.

S1.E3 ∙ Late
June 11, 2017
June visits Janine and her baby with Serena and remembers the early days of the revolution, before Gilead. Ofglen faces a difficult challenge.

S1.E4 ∙ Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum
June 18, 2017
Punished by Serena, June begins to unravel and reflects on her time with Moira at the Red Center.

S1.E5 ∙ Faithful
June 25, 2017
Serena makes June a surprising proposition, as June remembers the unconventional beginning of her relationship with Luke; Emily tries reintegrating into Gilead.

S1.E6 ∙ A Woman’s Place
July 2, 2017
When a trade delegation from Mexico comes to Gilead, June discovers several shocking secrets.

S1.E7 ∙ The Other Side
July 9, 2017
Flashbacks show what happened to Luke after being separated from June and Hannah.

S1.E8 ∙ Jezebels
July 16, 2017
While his wife is away, Commander Waterford takes Offred on an excursion outside the walls of Gilead to a den of iniquity where she finds a familiar face.

S1.E9 ∙ The Bridge
July 23, 2017
June is tasked with going back to Jezebels to find a package. Meanwhile, in Gilead, Janine has trouble relinquishing her newborn baby.

S1.E10 ∙ Night
July 30, 2017
Serena confronts June and Fred. June struggles with a complicated, life-changing revelation. The Handmaids face a brutal decision.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Where To Watch: Is It Only Available On Hulu?

The Handmaid's Tale Season 6: When is the final season expected to release?

On the other hand, all seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale are exclusively available to stream on Hulu, with other series of the same genre also accessible on the streaming platform with a range of membership options. The first four seasons are available on Hulu in the United States. It costs $6.99 per month and is cancelable at any time.

And no, Hulu is not the only place you can watch it. The series can also be streamed by renting or purchasing it on:

  • Vudu
  • Google Play
  • iTunes
  • Amazon Instant Video

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Trailer: Is It Out Yet?

Given that no word has been officially uttered on the release date for the final season, it is safe to say that we do not possess the official trailer for the same. However, in the months to follow, and as the premiere date arrives, we will be sure to update it here.

Till then, check out the official trailer for Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale:

The Handmaid’s Tale | Season 5 | Trailer

Catch up on prior seasons while you wait for more The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 information on Web News Observer.

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