It’s official. AMC and Fox TV have made a deal to revive the previously cancelled drama, The Killing. Season three will be comprised of 12 episodes and will follow detectives Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) as they solve a new case. Filming will commence next month.

Here’s the press release:

AMC AND FOX TELEVISION STUDIOS PARTNER ON “THE KILLING” SEASON THREE

New York, NY – January 15, 2013 – AMC and Fox Television Studios (FTVS) announced today a new deal which will return “The Killing” to AMC for a third season. As part of the deal, Veena Sud returns as executive producer, writer and showrunner along with actors Mireille Enos (Sarah Linden) and Joel Kinnaman (Stephen Holder). Season three will focus on a new case, which will be resolved over the course of 12 episodes. Production on season three begins February 25th in Vancouver.

“‘The Killing’ from day one has been a truly original take on the crime drama. Veena Sud and the rest of the talented creative team are hard at work shaping the lives of Linden and Holder, portrayed by the terrific Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman,” said Charlie Collier, AMC’s president. “We’re so pleased to welcome back ‘The Killing’ for another season.”

Fox TV Studios President, David Madden, said, “We have always believed in ‘The Killing’ and remain extremely proud of it, which is why we all worked so hard to find a scenario that could give it new life.”

“I couldn’t be happier to know that I will be returning to work with AMC, FTVS and Mireille and Joel on what is and has always been a passion project for me. To the fans that have supported the series, thank you for doing so. My team and I will work hard to deliver the best story that we can for season three,” said Veena Sud.

A year after closing the Rosie Larsen case, Sarah Linden is no longer a detective. But when her ex-partner Stephen Holder’s search for a runaway girl leads him to discover a gruesome string of murders that connects to a previous murder investigation by Linden, she is drawn back into the life she thought she’d left behind.

“The Killing” is produced by Fox Television Studios and executive produced by Mikkel Bondesen for Bondesen Productions. Kristen Campo serves as co-executive producer.

The series premiered on AMC Sunday, April 3, 2011, with season two premiering Sunday, April 1, 2012. The Killing averaged 1.9 million viewers over the 2 seasons.

AMC’s Joel Stillerman, executive vice president of original programming, production and digital content, Susie Fitzgerald, senior vice president of scripted development and current programming and Jason Fisher, senior vice president of production oversee production of the series for the network.

For more information, visit AMC’s press website, http://press.amctv.com.

About AMC

AMC reigns as the only cable network in history to ever win the Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row. Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original programming, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories. AMC’s original stories include “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Walking Dead” “The Killing” and “Hell on Wheels.” AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with its slate of unscripted original series, as well as curated movie franchises like AMC’s Can’t Get Enough and AMC’s Crazy About. AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Story Matters HereSM

About FTVS

Fox Television Studios produces scripted and unscripted programming for US broadcast and cable networks, and international broadcasters. The studio produces the hit series Burn Notice and White Collar, as well as the upcoming series Graceland, for USA; The Glades for A&E; the new series The Americans for FX; The Killing for AMC, and the upcoming Maron for IFC.

What do you think? Are you glad to hear that The Killing will be returning? Will you be watching?