Filming on the Fourth Season of "Killing Eve" Has Been Postponed Indefinitely

From Oprah Magazine

• BBC America renewed Killing Eve for a fourth season in January 2020, before the third season aired in April.

• In season 4, stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer are expected to return as their characters, Eve Polastri and Villanelle.

• Filming on season 4 of Killing Eve has been postponed indefinitely due to the show's global filming locations.

Some might say that Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and the assassin known as Villanelle (Jodi Comer) have TV's most interesting romance. Their complicated relationship, ricocheting between affection and danger, is the focal point of the Emmy-nominated BBC show Killing Eve.

Come season 4, their relationship will cross to a new level of intensity—and considering past events, that's really saying something. During Killing Eve's finale, Eve and Villanelle decide they can't live without each other, leading to an unforgettably cinematic reunion on a London bridge. “When I try and think of my future, I just see your face," Eve says.

Villanelle and Eve's reunion isn't good news. After all, it's been established time and time again that Villanelle is a terrible influence on Eve's life. The Russian criminal inadvertently led to Eve losing her job as an MI6 agent, her husband, Niko (Owen McDonnell), and most of her sanity.

"It's sort of the most f—ed-up, self-destructive, glorious, edifying, ego-fulfilling relationship ever. I think it is really hard to walk away from something [when] somebody sees you in a very unique way that makes you feel like you're a little sunflower in the sunlight. That's really hard to step away from that," EP Sally Woodward Gentle told Entertainment Weekly of the leads' relationship.

The final moments of season 3—which feature Eve and Villanelle running toward each other—guarantee an interesting season 4 is in order. Here's what we know about the upcoming season of Killing Eve.

Season 4 of Killing Eve was renewed before season 3 aired.

In a show of confidence, BBC America renewed Killing Eve for another season in January, months before the third season hit the air on April 12. “How could we not have massive confidence in Killing Eve? It has won big in every major award show and is the highest growing show on U.S. television for six years,” AMC Networks Entertainment Group president Sarah Barnett said in a statement, per TVLine.

However, filming has been delayed indefinitely.

Killing Eve is known for its striking international sets. The third season of Killing Eve was filmed in locations around the world, including Barcelona, England, and a village outside of Bucharest, Romania. Past seasons filmed in Tuscany, Amsterdam, and beyond.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, though, it may be difficult for season 4 of Killing Eve to have a similarly international shoot. According to Deadline, filming was intended to resume in August. However, in June of 2020, filming for the drama's fourth season was delayed indefinitely.

The usual suspects will be involved in the show.

Given Killing Eve's star power on-screen and behind-the-scenes, it's no wonder it's an excellent show. In season 4, Oh and Comer will return to see out their characters' trajectories. M16 agent Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw) will continue to watch their relationship from afar and have her own dealings with Russian assassins. However, Dasha (Harriet Walter), Villanelle's mentor, won't be returning for obvious reasons—if you saw season 3, at least.

The most significant change between seasons will come in the writers' room. Each season, so far, has been led by a different person. Creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge orchestrated the first season; Emerald Fennell was the season 2 head; Suzanne Heathcote was in charge of season 3.

Come season 4, Laura Neal—whose past credits include Diary of a Call Girl and Netflix's Sex Education—will take over as the lead writer. “After the most incredible year on Killing Eve, I'm so excited the next season is going to be led by such a brilliant talent,” Heathcote said in a statement, per Deadline. “I cannot wait to see what amazing things Laura's going to do with this world and the characters in it.”

Executive Producer Sally Woodward Gentle hyped up Neal's past work, making us even more excited to do what she'll bring to season 4. “Laura is frighteningly bright, takes no prisoners and can laugh at anything,” Gentle said in a statement, per Deadline. “She’s wicked and wild, emotional and provocative. The stories we are already creating for season four promise a pitch-black riot.”

The next season has a lot of questions to answer.

The biggest question, of course, is about the future of Eve and Villanelle's relationship. At this point, both characters are estranged from the groups that had given them an identity. Villanelle betrayed her boss at the Twelve, Helene (Camille Cottin), by killing fellow assassin Rhian (Alexandra Roach). Eve, of course, no longer works for M16. Will the two of them rely on each other to escape the Twelve?

Speaking of the Twelve—much has been said about them, but not much is known. Carolyn's boss at M16, Paul (Steve Pemberton), was working for the Twelve, before Carolyn killed him. Will season 4 shed more light on the organization, which hires assassins?

Finally, the fate of Konstantin (Kim Bodnia), Villanelle's handler, is up in the air, big time. The end of the season brings two major revelations about Konstantin. First, he was with Kenny (Sean Delaney), Carolyn's son, the night of his death, trying to warn him about the Twelve. Second, that he stole six million Euro from the Twelve—which is not a great idea.

Given his transgressions, he would have fled the U.K., if his daughter, Irina (Yugi Lagodinsky), weren't sitting in jail for running over her mother's boyfriend with a car (she's a Villanelle-in-training). The tables continue to turn.

It's not out yet, but Killing Eve's season 4 has already been the focus of controversy.

Back in June, one of the series' writers, Kayleigh Llewellyn, tweeted a now deleted screenshot of a Zoom call of the show's writers' room. “15 weeks later, it’s the final day of the Killing Eve writers room,” she wrote.

Twitter users noticed that all of the individuals in the photo appeared to be white. Variety examined the composition of the past writers' rooms, and found no writers or producers color.

Speaking to Kerry Washington on Actors on Actors in June, Oh said the U.K. is "behind" the U.S. in terms of diversity in the entertainment industry. "I am not often the only Asian person on set, but the development of people behind the camera is very slow in the U.K.," she said. "Sometimes it would be me and 75 white people."

While Oh did not directly comment on Killing Eve's lack of diversity behind the camera, specifically, she pointed to a broader industry trend—one Killing Eve may address in future seasons.

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