As The Handmaid’s Tale finishes its Season 6, fans are wondering—will Elisabeth Moss return as June Osborne in the upcoming sequel series The Testaments? The show’s creator, Bruce Miller, has shared some interesting details about what’s next for her.
Will Elisabeth Moss’ June return in The Testaments?
In the series finale of The Handmaid’s Tale, June makes the difficult choice to keep fighting for her daughter Hannah. The closing scene shows June recording her story in the Waterfords’ former home, which echoes the opening of the pilot, suggesting a full-circle moment. But according to series creator Bruce Miller, it may also serve as a bridge to the next story.
Miller revealed that The Testaments, which began filming just before The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 premiered, won’t follow Atwood’s novel word-for-word. Instead of the 15-year time jump found in the book, the show will pick up about three to five years after June’s last appearance. This opens the door for familiar faces, especially June’s, to re-enter the arc in various ways.
Even though The Testaments will center on Aunt Lydia, Agnes (Hannah) and Daisy (Nichole), Miller made it clear that Elisabeth Moss’ June return will be felt in The Testaments. “We’ll certainly reference them, and bring it into relief a lot more than it is in the book, and earlier,” he told Variety, referring to June and Nick.
“But I think where we are and what we’re doing with the story, with a few slight differences, they are thinking more in the front of their minds… So I think that June is much more present.” Miller went on to add, “It’s amazing when you start thinking about who the women are in her life who have influenced her, and, of course, she’s got a lot of June in her, which means she’s big trouble.”
While Elisabeth Moss hasn’t confirmed an on-screen return as June, she’s far from stepping away from The Testaments. “I won’t be there [on set of The Testaments], which is different as a producer,” Moss said during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “But I can’t not be hands on. I don’t know how to do it any other way. And it certainly feels hands on, given the amount of emails!”
