Carey Mulligan fans have a reason to be excited for Collateral on Netflix since it brings the movie star to a TV series for the first time in years. The four-episode show has been billed as a limited series, but there is a chance that Collateral could return for a Season 2. The first season takes place over the course of four days as Mulligan's Detective Inspector Kip Glaspie investigates the murder of a pizza delivery person. But the story quickly expands to focus on more than just the police investigation as the murder has ramifications politically and societally. Although this joint BBC and Netflix venture has already aired in the U.K., Collateral premiered in the U.S. on March 9. So once Americans watch the four, hour-long episodes, they can see for themselves if they'd want a second helping of Mulligan's TV series.
Although a Season 2 of Collateral has not been discussed, the UK's Express reported that there is a possibility for it to return. One reason for that is because director S.J. Clarkson noted how much she enjoyed working with the writer of Collateral, Sir David Hare. Clarkson has previously directed episodes for Netflix series like Orange Is The New Black, Jessica Jones, and The Defenders. And while he is mostly known for his work as a playwright, Hare has also written for films like The Hours and The Reader. "I recall our first conversation, which was so refreshing," Clarkson told the Express about Hare. "We are both obsessive about 'the work,' say it how it is, and want to make it as good as it can be — we have a shared passion for storytelling."
Clarkson described Collateral as an "ensemble piece" to the Express — and fans of Doctor Who will be delighted by this ensemble since they bring you back to the days of David Tennant with Billie Piper, John Simm, and even Mulligan (who memorably starred as Sally Sparrow in the episode "Blink"). But Mulligan's character has been the face of the series, so it would seem a potential Season 2 would need to include her. And from that side of it, Mulligan also noted her positive working relationship with writer Hare, whom she had worked with before on the revival of his play Skylight, in an interview with The Independent.
Hare asked Mulligan to play the lead role of Kip in Collateral. And when Mulligan informed him that she was actually pregnant with her second child (with husband Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons), she said the knighted writer was completely fine with that. "David was totally happy and said he didn't see why Kip couldn't be pregnant. He barely changed a thing and only added two references to the pregnancy in the entire show," Mulligan told The Independent at the British premiere of the series. "I love that because pregnant women don't go around all day clutching their bellies. They are working women and they just get on with it. That is a really strong message from David."
Mulligan also explained to The Independent how she feels that there is more compelling writing for female characters on TV series than in films right now. "I think for most of the female actresses I know it's just about going where the better writing is. Films have tended to provide a lot for men in terms of great leading roles and not so much for women," Mulligan said. "You can get a TV show like Big Little Lies, which has five or six extraordinary roles for women, while there would maybe be half a good role for a woman in a film. I want to play the most interesting, complicated real person, and interesting, complicated real people in films are really, really rare."
She continued, "There is such a scarcity of great writing for women, and this drama has so much. It is happening much more in TV than in film, but it is still rare to have this many well-rounded female characters in one drama." So even as her career continues to focus mostly on film (she was in 2017's Mudbound and has a leading role in the 2018 film Wildlife with Jake Gyllenhaal), her experience with the TV show and the caliber of writing could possibly inspire her to return if a second season was announced.
Director Clarkson notes in the above video from BBC Two's Twitter account that once you finish Collateral, you'll be asking, "Oh my god, is it really over?" So while Collateral was written as a miniseries, a second season with Mulligan's Kip might not be entirely out of the question. After all, can it be a mere coincidence that Mulligan referenced Big Little Lies, a miniseries that got its own Season 2 renewal, when talking about Collateral? Fans of the British series will surely hope not.
