A Killing Eve Prequel Centered On Fiona Shaw's Carolyn Martens Is In The Works

"Killing Eve" is days away from the endgame, meaning everyone's dangerously dysfunctional couple is either on the verge of embracing their love or lighting it on fire. Up until the very end, it's impossible to say how this thing will shake out for Eve (Sandra Oh) and Villanelle (Jodie Comer), but once the final credits roll, fans will have no choice but to accept their fate — and there's nothing quite like the pain of a beloved TV series coming to close. But here's some news that might help quell your romantic assassin-related troubles: the world of "Killing Eve" is set to live on in a spinoff following MI6 spymaster, Carolyn Mertens. UK newspaper The Sun broke news (via Deadline) that the series is in the early development stages, though it hasn't yet received an official greenlight.

The idea of a "Killing Eve" spinoff has been floating around for some time, which comes as no surprise given the immense popularity of this strange, sadistic tale. The highly-addictive crime thriller initially kicked off with Pheobe-Waller Bridge as head writer, weaving the story of two women bound by their mutual obsession — MI6 analyst Eve and psychopathic assassin, Villanelle. Their cat-and-mouse chase for one another also included the introduction of various characters on either side, fleshing out the worlds of secretive government agencies and underground criminal organizations. With the series coming to an end, there's plenty of potential for spinoff stories, which was teased when the final season was first announced last year, and most recently when co-writer Laura Neal spoke to Radio Times. Neal said,

"I think it's the end of Killing Eve as we know it, but I wouldn't be able to say whether it's the end of the Killing Eve world. I'd love to see something else."

Something else has arrived, in the form of the witty Carolyn Mertens.

Played to perfection by Fiona Shaw, Carolyn began the show as the ruthless and enigmatic head of MI6's Russian section, recruiting Eve onto the hunt for Villanelle. As a meticulous MI5 analyst, Eve was not a complete stranger to the horrors their hunt would reap, but she wasn't nearly as well-adjusted as Carolyn, who seemed so at ease with death and serial killer antics that it was occasionally alarming (when it wasn't oddly hilarious). Suffice it to say, there have been plenty of hints about Carolyn's intriguing past. She comes across as an old-school spy, always one step ahead of her colleagues and expertly keeping key information to herself. And in four seasons of "Killing Eve," we've learned more about the mysterious woman and even witnessed some huge life-changing events, but her past remains largely unexplored. The spinoff is said to delve into the origins of her story, focusing on Carolyn's early life and her time undercover in the former Soviet Union.

The two-episode finale of "Killing Eve" airs on BBC America on April 10, 2022.