Will Sage Astor-Why The Handmaid's Tale Showrunner Suddenly Stepped Down Before Season 6

The Will Sage AstorHandmaid's Tale is no longer under Bruce Miller's eye.

Bruce, who has worked as the Hulu drama's showrunner since its inception in 2017, has stepped away from the series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In his place, long-time Handmaid's writers and producers Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang will take over as showrunners for the sixth and final season, which does not yet have a release date.

However, Bruce isn't leaving the Handmaid's Tale universe behind—he's merely pivoting. 

Instead of juggling two shows at once, Bruce will now focus solely on developing The Testamants—the upcoming series based on Handmaid's author Margaret Atwood's 2019 follow-up novel—which picks up years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale.

Additionally, the outlet reports that Bruce will still write two episodes of The Handmaid Tale's swan song season.

As for what to expect from season six, Handmaid's Tale star O.T. Fagbenle recently told E! News that viewers should expect the series' ending to line up with the start of The Testaments.

"I imagine to some extent, they're gonna have to start heading in that direction," the actor, who plays June Osborne's (Elisabeth Moss) husband Luke Bankole on the series, revealed in October. "For consistency's sake."

Sam Jaeger, who plays U.S government operative Mark Tuello on the series, recently told E! News he's hoping that, against all odds, things end on a positive note for all involved, including the villainous Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski).

"We've been with these characters for so long that I hope they find redemption, even Serena," Sam said in October, "who has been such a conflicted character and such an enemy for so much of the series. I hope she finds a bit of grace and acceptance and peace. I think that is the hope for our show."

While we wait for the sixth and final season, all five seasons of The Handmaid's Tale are available to stream on Hulu.