The Handmaid’s Tale is returning to Hulu for Season 4 after the third season of the dystopian series ended in August 2019.
The Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award-winning series created by Bruce Miller is based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name.
It tells the story of the lives of “Handmaids” in the religious fundamentalist and totalitarian state of Gilead after a Second American Civil War.
Handmaids are women subject to child-bearing slavery in a dystopian world where fertility rates have fallen drastically due to environmental pollution.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 ended with a cliffhanger after June (Elisabeth Moss) was shot by a soldier. Fans are looking forward to seeing what is next for this character after a close brush with death in the Season 3 finale.
Here is everything we know so far about The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4, including release date, cast updates, trailer, and plot.
Is there going to be a Season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale?
Hulu announced the renewal of The Handmaid’s Tale for Season 4 back in July 2019. The announcement came just ahead of the Season 3 finale which aired in August, so fans watched the final episodes of the season with the assurance that the show will return for another season.
The early renewal of the series for yet another season was expected. The Handmaid’s Tale has enjoyed growing popularity since the program first premiered on Hulu in April 2017.
Release date latest: When is The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 likely to come out?
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 was originally scheduled to premiere in the fall of 2020. However, in June Hulu announced that the release date for the upcoming season had been pushed back to 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement came after production on Season 4 — which started in Canada in March — was shut down following restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Actress Elizabeth Moss, who plays the lead character, June Osborne, revealed in May that The Handsmaid’s Tale was forced to halt production only two weeks after filming started.
Although Hulu confirmed that the new season will come out in 2021, no specific date was announced due to uncertainties amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to The Wrap, a source revealed that Hulu will announce the release date window for the upcoming season once production begins again.
Monsters & Critics will keep you updated on the latest release date news, so stay tuned.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 trailer
Hulu released a teaser for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 on June 24, 2020.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 cast updates
Hulu has not yet confirmed the actors for Season 4, but fans can expect members of the main cast to reprise their roles.
Although June suffered a serious gunshot wound, fans can expect her to return to her role next season.
Other members of the main cast who are expected to reprise their roles in Season 4 include Joseph Fiennes as Commander Fred Waterford, Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy, O. T. Fagbenle as Luke Bankole, Samira Wiley as Moira Strand, and Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia.
Other actors include Alexis Bledel as Dr. Emily Malek, Max Minghella as Commander Nick Blaine, Amanda Brugel as Rita, and Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence.
What to expect of the upcoming season
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 is expected to pick up where Season 3 left off. In Season 3, the Canadian authorities arrested Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski).
Serena got herself and her husband arrested by the Canadian authorities so she could be with her daughter Nichole/Holly.
However, in the Season 3 finale, Fred sold out his wife to the authorities and she was detained after being previously allowed to move around freely and spend time with Nichole.
Fiennes revealed in an interview with Golderby that in Season 4, Fred, stung by Serena’s betrayal, will seek to take her down.
Fiennes also revealed that being under pressure — due to the crimes he had committed — Fred could end up as a government informer.
In the Season finale, when June was shot and seriously wounded during a confrontation with a soldier, she was busy trying to help a group of children escape Gilead by plane. She was later carried out of the woods by other handmaids.
June is expected to survive and return to her mission to rescue the women and children and take them to Canada. However, series creator Bruce Miller revealed in an interview with TV Guide that there is trouble ahead for June in the upcoming episodes of the series.
Moss told The Hollywood Reporter that the plot of the upcoming season will likely reflect current issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have notes in my book about human contact and human touch, isolation versus community… all these themes are really already present in season four.”
Ann Dowd also revealed on This Morning that in Season 4, her character, Aunt Lydia, could end up in trouble with the Commanders.
I really enjoy the Shiw, I just wish the coming seasons could come a lot faster. Can’t wait to watch.