Hayley Atwell Says an 'Agent Carter' Special Has Been Discussed, Remains Optimistic
Hayley Atwell revealed that there were discussions about wrapping up Peggy Carter’s arc with an Agent Carter special after ABC canceled the beloved drama in May.
“There were talks of do we do an Agent Carter special?” Atwell, 34, revealed to a handful of reporters after a session for her new fall series, Conviction, at ABC’s Television Critics Association press day. “Does this not get picked up and Agent Carter does? Do neither of them happen? Will I be completely jobless come summer? All of that was a possibility and you can only really focus on what’s right in front of you.”
RELATED: Hayley Atwell Is '100 Percent' on Board With Bringing 'Agent Carter' Back
Though Atwell is now wholly focused on Conviction, where she plays a drug-addled ex-first daughter and attorney, who is blackmailed into joining the new Conviction Integrity Unit in New York City, she’s still holding out hope for that Agent Carter special to come to fruition.
“I’d really love them to be,” she admitted. “I hound [Marvel Studios co-president] Louis D’Esposito on a regular basis. The great thing about Peggy is that we know from [Captain America:] Winter Soldier that she lives a long life, so she could come back. I’m banking on in my 50s [seeing] what Peggy’s up to this decade.”
Atwell noted that if both Conviction and Agent Carter went forward, the appropriate parties “would have figured something out, in terms of making a special or waiting until we finished this season [of Conviction] and then us doing something else with another network, perhaps.”
RELATED: 'Agent Carter' Closes Out Season 2 With Old Friends, New Love and Murder Mystery
“It’s still a much-loved show from the people involved with the making of it and we know that the fans -- it has a special place in their hearts,” she said of the Marvel show. “That’s something that I’d be happy to go back to if the opportunity came.”
The British actress admitted the uncertainty of Agent Carter’s fate earlier this year really forced her to “let that go.”
“I’m quite good at letting go that of which is not in my control and once I have no choice, I just get on with it and I was back to being an actor for hire,” Atwell said. “That’s how I’ve always been and that’s how I always see myself.”
RELATED: See Which of Your Favorite TV Shows Are Returning
Even so, she remained optimistic that she’ll get the chance to revisit the character -- whether it’s in the near future or years down the line.
“I don’t think I’ve said goodbye to her,” she said. “She does still seem to live on with the fans. Marvel is still such a big part of my career, my professional family. I would absolutely not rule out the idea of going back to Peggy at some point, seeing her in other avenues. I love her. I hope she has a life elsewhere in another time.”
Conviction premieres Oct. 3 on ABC.