Move over, Cristina Yang; Sandra Oh has lined up a new series-regular role. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “Grey’s Anatomy” actress has signed on to topline “Fleabag” creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s thriller “Killing Eve.” The show, adapted from Luke Jennings’ “Villanelle” novellas, is set to bow on BBC America in 2018.
The eight-episode series will center on Eve (Oh), a fiercely intelligent security services operative who dreams of leaving her desk job behind to be a spy, and Villanelle, an elegant and proficient murderer. No word on who will portray Villanelle yet, though it seems possible that Waller-Bridge may take on the role. She’ll serve as showrunner on “Killing Eve” and exec produce with Sally Woodward Gentle and Lee Morris.
“I am quivering with excitement about working with Sandra! I have been a huge fan of hers forever and am pinching myself that she is playing our Eve,” Waller-Bridge told THR. “She is going to be so badass in this role.”
“Killing Eve” marks Oh’s first series-regular TV role since she left “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2014. She starred as the smart, competitive, and independent Dr. Cristina Yang on the series from its 2005 debut to its tenth season finale. She received a Golden Globe, two SAG Awards, and five Emmy nods during her tenure on the Shondaland medical drama. “American Crime,” “Catfight,” and Ann Marie Fleming’s “Window Horses” are among her recent credits.
“Fleabag,” based on Waller-Bridge’s one-woman play, is set in London and centers on a self-destructive young woman (Waller-Bridge) who owns a guinea pig-themed café. Waller-Bridge took home the Breakthrough and Best Comedy Writer prizes at this year’s Royal Television Society Awards for her work on the dark comedy, which has been renewed for a second season. She previously wrote and starred in “Crashing,” a comedy about a group of twentysomethings using an old hospital as apartments.
