Author Margaret Atwood Announces 'The Handmaid's Tale' Sequel Is Coming in 2019

Over 30 years after publishing her critically-acclaimed dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood has announced that a sequel is currently in the works. The sequel, titled The Testaments, is set to release in September 2019.

Since it was published in 1985, Atwood's novel has been adapted into a 1990 film starring Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall, and then into a 2017–present Hulu original series with Elisabeth Moss in the lead role as June Offred. The former did not have it easy with critics, only earning a 31 percent average score on Rotten Tomatoes. The latter, however, is considered arguably one of the best series in recent years. The Critics Consensus for its second season on Rotten Tomatoes says, "Beautifully shot but dishearteningly relevant, The Handmaid's Tale centers its sophomore season tightly around its compelling cast of characters, making room for broader social commentary through more intimate lenses." Furthermore, the television adaptation has won a number of academy awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and more.

The sensation surrounding the novel has recently prompted the question, "Could The Handmaid's Tale become a reality?" The inquiry began circulating the Internet after a thread on Reddit was created by user u/sammyaxelrod with the title Could Gilead happen in the United States?There are over 70 comments on the thread, most of which suggesting that it is plausible.

The story is praised as much as it is partially because of how disturbingly familiar and veracious the concept is in our society. In June 2018, Anjali Sareen Nowakowski published an article titled 5 ways 'The Handmaid's Tale' is reality, which details how certain elements from The Handmaid's Tale correlate with that of our world today. Nowakowski wrote, "It is possible to see streaks of reality in book's dystopian world."

According to Atwood, the sophomore entry of her novel series will take place 15 years after the final scene in the first entry, and it will be narrated by three female characters. Lastly, the sequel will have no connection to the television series adaptation, which has continued the story by deviating from its source material after season one.

"Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for [The Testaments]," Atwood stated in a press release this past Wednesday, during which she officially announced the publication of her sequel. "Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've been living in."