Lily James to read excerpts of The Testaments at Margaret Atwood's book launch
Lily James will perform live readings from Margaret Atwood's anticipated new novel The Testaments, a sequel to the 1985 classic The Handmaid's Tale, at the book's official launch event in London, U.K., on Sept. 10, 2019.
The event, announced last March, will be broadcast to cinemas in Canada and around the world. It will include a Q&A with Atwood and journalist Samira Ahmed.
James joins fresh off her stint in Ivo van Hove's theatrical adaptation of All About Eve and a starring turn in the film Yesterday.
The Testaments, longlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize, takes place 15 years after The Handmaid's Tale's conclusion. It will contain the "explosive testaments" of three women from Gilead.
The Handmaid's Tale describes a future where infertility rates have risen dramatically due to the environment degradation, which leads an oppressive religious group to overthrow the American government. The book follows a Handmaid called Offred, who is being forced to try to conceive a child for a powerful man and his wife.
The 1985 novel won the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction and was a finalist for the Booker Prize. It's been adapted into theatre, ballet, film, television and a graphic novel.
Atwood will tour Canada to promote The Testaments.