Jodie Comer Links Up With Damon Lindelof for HBO Thriller The Chain

Here we go: HBO is diving back into that signature moral minefield territory, and they’ve just snagged the single best person for stepping straight on a landmine. Jodie Comer—the absolute force of nature from ‘Killing Eve’—is set to headline ‘The Chain’, an upcoming limited series with all the bleak, what-would-you-do tension you’d expect from a Damon Lindelof project. (If you’re already feeling a knot in your stomach, you’re on the right track.)

The Premise: No Easy Choices Here

Based on Adrian McKinty’s 2019 bestselling novel, ‘The Chain’ drops Comer into the sort of role where every episode threatens your moral compass. She’ll play Rachel, a regular suburban mom who is suddenly thrown into hell when her daughter is kidnapped. But here’s the real kicker: to save her child, Rachel is forced to cough up ransom and kidnap another family’s kid—keeping a grim cycle spinning for the next desperate parent. If you’re getting flashbacks to those ‘Would you steal to feed your family?’ late-night debates, you’re not alone; Lindelof is absolutely riffing on his favorite theme—what’s right or wrong when the rules are shredded.

The Creative Team: A Recipe for Psychological Pain

Lindelof is running the show, and if you’ve seen ‘Lost’ or ‘The Leftovers’ or HBO’s wild ‘Watchmen’ run, you know he’s an expert at wrenching characters (and viewers) through emotional meat grinders. Joining him are people who know a thing or two about intense television:

• Brian Wray (previously on ‘The Leftovers’ and ‘Mad Men’) is part of the lineup
• Kate Dennis is set to direct
• Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer from Media Res (yes, the people behind ‘The Morning Show’ and ‘Pachinko’)
• Shane Salerno and Joseph Iberti are exec producing
• Adrian McKinty, the author himself, is on board as co-executive producer

Why Comer? Because She Can Actually Do This

Quick refresher on Jodie Comer: she’s the one who collected an Emmy and a BAFTA for ‘Killing Eve’, beating out some of the TV world’s heavyweights (Sandra Oh, Emilia Clarke, Viola Davis—ever heard of them?). Since then, she’s picked up film credits in ‘Free Guy’, ‘The Last Duel’, ‘The Bikeriders’, and soon ‘28 Years Later’, but this is her first big TV return in a while. Honestly, not just any actor can make you love someone who turns around and becomes someone else’s nightmare—and Comer excels at playing driven people under ferocious pressure.

The real meat of ‘The Chain’ is not just about watching a panicked mother but seeing her cross every line she thought she’d never approach. That’s the whole Lindelof vibe—pushing viewers to squirm right alongside the protagonist.

From Book to Screen: A Twisty Journey

Here’s something that might surprise you: ‘The Chain’ was almost a movie before this TV version happened. Back in 2020, Edgar Wright was tapped to direct a film version at Universal Pictures. That adaptation never actually got rolling, and—at least publicly—no one’s bothered to spell out exactly what went wrong. (Hollywood: never a dull moment.)

As for McKinty, he’s mostly known for his crime novels starring Sean Duffy, a Catholic detective working through Northern Ireland’s Troubles (starting with ‘The Cold Cold Ground’). So, yeah, if you go looking for supernatural twists, you’ll be disappointed—this is grounded, grim, real-life nightmare type fiction.

A Quote That Sums It Up

Comer’s casting gives the show both a face and a clearer sense of what to expect—a thriller with a brutal premise, a prestige lead, and enough moral ugliness to excite Lindelof fans.

What Else is Lindelof Up To?

If you need more Lindelof in your life (plenty do), he’s got ‘Lanterns’ coming out later this year with HBO/DC—so it’s not like he’s slowing down. But ‘The Chain’ looks like it’ll hit that purer, more contained Lindelof note: ethical crises, families spiraling, and no easy answers.

No premiere date yet, but with Comer onboard, HBO is clearly lining this up as its next big splashy event series.