The Handmaid’s Tale closed its six-season run on May 27, 2025, but fans don’t have to say goodbye to Gilead for long. Hulu’s upcoming spinoff, The Testaments, based on Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel, is already in production. And the central question on everyone’s mind is: Will Elisabeth Moss return as June Osborne?
So far, The Testaments has confirmed just one major returning character: Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia. However, the sequel takes place about three to four years after The Handmaid’s Tale ends. This means that June’s search for her daughter Hannah is still very much alive.
“She’s out there,” creator Bruce Miller told The Hollywood Reporter. “She’s still doing her job… trying to get Hannah back.”
While Moss isn’t on set filming Season 1, she is involved as a producer. And very hands-on, by her own admission. “I can’t not be hands-on. I don’t know how to do it any other way,” Moss said, hinting at a creative presence even if she isn’t yet on-screen.
June Osborne Still Matters in The Testaments
The sequel series will center on Hannah, renamed Agnes under Gilead rule, played by newcomer Chase Infiniti.
This alone opens the door to June (or even Luke) making a return, especially given that The Handmaid’s Tale finale ended with June heading to Colorado to rescue her daughter. That thread remains unresolved.
Bruce Miller told THR, “The beauty of having watched The Handmaid’s Tale is that you understand there’s this huge operation of people who are out there who care… So is June influencing The Testaments? Absolutely.”
Elisabeth Moss echoed that sentiment with characteristic mystery: “You’re just going to have to watch the show.”
Although Moss is filming Imperfect Women for Apple TV+ and is not slated for Season 1, the narrative groundwork is in place.
June remains a powerful symbol in the Testaments timeline, whether she appears or not. In fact, her offscreen efforts could be the very reason Agnes begins to question her world.
Could June Appear in Future Seasons?
The Testaments is currently filming and is likely to follow in The Handmaid’s Tale’s footsteps by expanding beyond Atwood’s source material. That could make way for June to return…especially if Hulu greenlights multiple seasons.
With Gilead’s downfall in motion and Agnes emerging as a central figure, the door is wide open for a mother-daughter reunion.
Moss’s character arc ended on a confusing but defiant note. Returning to the Waterford house, reclaiming her story, and declaring “My name is Offred” into a tape recorder. That final beat felt like a beginning, not an end.
And if June’s voice still echoes through Gilead, it’s only a matter of time before she steps back into the frame. Whether in a surprise cameo or a full-circle confrontation that gives Hannah (aka Agnes) the truth she deserves.
The Testaments is expected to premiere in late 2025 on Hulu.
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