Praise Be! The Handmaid's Tale will have a life after (delayed) Season 4

Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's award winning novel, The Handmaid's Tale, has been fueling dystopic nightmares for three seasons now. But the show, starring Elisabeth Moss, will enter its fourth season a little later than usual, according to executive producer Warren Littlefield. He also said the series has no intention of ending after next season.

In comments to TV Guide at the Television Critics Association, Littlefield noted that Season 4 will premiere in Fall 2020, but that it will be longer than prior seasons. He also told reporters that principal photography for Season 4 is scheduled to begin Mar. 2, which puts the season a few months later than the summer drop that fans have grown accustomed.

Notably, Littlefield also made several mentions to Atwood's follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale, entitled The Testaments, which is set 15 years in the future. 

"I can honestly say to you, we don't have a definitive out. But I think we want to keep the bar high, and it would not be a bad thing to leave the audience wanting more and and and then we could, we could ideally shift into The Testaments," he said.

It's unclear at this point if The Testaments will be a stand-alone series, as previously reported, or be wrapped into future seasons of The Handmaid's Tale.

Littlefield appears to be considering both options. "Well, if you read the book, then the book is in concert with what we've done. And so, there would be an end to Handmaid's, and you would leap to 15 years later into Testaments. So, I think they are linked, without a doubt, they're linked, but ... I think we want to embrace the shift where we go to that world, and it is 15 years later. I think that could be real interesting in how much has changed. How different is it? I think that's part of the massive intrigue of the book."

SYFY WIRE has reached out to Hulu for comment.  

The Handmaid's Tale has garnered 11 Emmys since it first premiered in 2017. It's also scooped up wins from the Golden Globes and Peabodys. The series is produced by Littlefield, Moss, Bruce Miller, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Ilene Chaiken, Eric Tuchman, John Weber, Sheila Hockin, and Frank Siracusa.

(via TV Guide)