Jodie Comer to Lead HBO’s ‘The Chain’ From Damon Lindelof

Jodie Comer is heading back to television — and she’s not playing it safe. The Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning actress has been cast as the lead of The Chain, HBO’s upcoming limited series from Damon Lindelof, marking her most anticipated TV return since her star-making turn as Villanelle in Killing Eve.

Comer will play Rachel, described in the official breakdown as “a suburban mom who must consider the unthinkable when her daughter is kidnapped.” But the full picture is even more gripping than that. According to The Wrap, Rachel is a divorcée currently undergoing cancer treatment when she gets the call that her daughter Kylie has been taken — and the only way to get Kylie back is to pay a ransom and kidnap another child herself. The family of that child must then do the same. And on it goes. The chain never breaks on its own.

It’s a premise that’s equal parts thriller and moral horror show, and it’s the kind of role that feels tailor-made for Comer’s particular gift for playing women under impossible pressure.

A Premise That Stopped Lindelof Cold

The series is based on Adrian McKinty‘s 2019 novel of the same name, a New York Times bestseller that laid out this escalating kidnapping scheme in nerve-shredding detail. Lindelof — the mind behind The Leftovers and HBO’s acclaimed Watchmen — is said to be expanding the mythology of McKinty’s book rather than doing a straight page-to-screen adaptation.

When the series order was first announced back in January, Lindelof didn’t hide his enthusiasm. “From the moment I heard the wild and original premise of Adrian’s book, I was shocked, surprised and angry I hadn’t thought of it myself,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to try to adapt a great thriller and this one has all the dark, weird, exhilarating touches that fire up my imagination.”

HBO handed the project a straight-to-series, eight-episode order — the first to come out of the two-year overall deal Lindelof signed with the network in September 2025. Lindelof is serving as writer, executive producer, and showrunner, a role he hasn’t occupied since Watchmen. The pilot story is credited to Lindelof, Carly Wray, and Breannah Gibson, with Lindelof and Wray writing the actual pilot script. McKinty is on board as a co-executive producer, keeping him close to the adaptation of his own work.

Rounding out the producing team: Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer of Media Res — the Emmy-nominated studio also behind The Morning Show and Pachinko — along with Shane Salerno, Gibson, and Joe Iberti. Media Res co-produces the series alongside HBO.

Comer’s Return to the Small Screen

For fans of Killing Eve, this casting is a moment. Comer won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama in 2019 for playing the charismatic, terrifying assassin Villanelle — and took home a BAFTA TV Award for the same role. She later won a second BAFTA for the 2021 Channel 4 film Help, a COVID-era medical drama that earned her widespread critical acclaim in the UK.

Since Killing Eve wrapped, Comer has built a serious film career. She starred opposite Matt Damon and Adam Driver in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, held her own with Ryan Reynolds in Free Guy, and appeared in Jeff Nichols’ ensemble biker drama The Bikeriders. Most recently, she led Danny Boyle’s long-awaited zombie sequel 28 Years Later. Up next for her on the film side: A24’s The Death of Robin Hood, opposite Hugh Jackman and Bill Skarsgård, plus The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde and Stuffed.

It’s a stacked slate — but The Chain is the project that brings her back to where she first became a household name. And with Lindelof in her corner, this is the kind of limited series that tends to define a moment in prestige TV.

No premiere date has been set, and filming hasn’t been announced yet. But with Comer locked in and Lindelof at the helm, HBO clearly has something it believes in. Rachel’s story hasn’t started yet — but it’s already hard to look away.