Before Lupin part 3 arrived on our screens, much of the thriller's fanbase would have expected Hubert Pellegrini to rear his head once again and wage war on Assane Diop for landing him behind bars.

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But as the season raced towards its end, there was no sign of him. Had we really seen the last of the nefarious businessman?

In the final moments, we had our answer.

Assane received a mystery envelope from a neighbouring prison cell containing a photograph of himself holding a copy of The Cagliostro's Revenge.

In that moment, the modern day gentleman thief knew: Pellegrini was back.

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Cue foreboding orchestral music, thunder and lightning, and every other dramatic device you can think of.

But what does that reveal mean? Has Pellegrini been pulling the strings throughout part 3? Is there more we don't know about his involvement in Assane's past?

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, co-creator and writer George Kay remained tight-lipped to preserve mystery further down the line.

"It's a very open ending, and it's obviously left with lots to explore and lots of questions about who was behind what and how did this all happen," he said. "It's the equivalent of, 'What we've just been through for seven hours, is that really what just happened?' Which feels good.

"And it's quite a soft question, it's a bit of a haunting. You're like, 'Hang on a sec.' It's a great place to end the season."

Close-up of Hubert Pellegrini wearing a tuxedo, with a shocked expression on his face
Hervé Pierre as Hubert Pellegrini in Lupin. Emmanuel Guimier / Netflix

Netflix hasn't confirmed if Lupin will return for part 4, although we'd be staggered if this was the end of the road for Assane, but if it is recommissioned, Pellegrini will play a role.

"I definitely think Pellegrini is going to come back into our show," he said. "For me, there's no question that Pellegrini is behind something there. It would be wrong to suggest he is if he's not. Nothing happens by accident in Lupin."

Kay continued: "Assane Diop has lots of enemies but he's only got one arch enemy. And that [having him return] was building the legacy of that central antagonism that comes out of Hubert Pellegrini."

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But while viewers have been left in the dark about what Pellegrini's return means for Assane moving foward, Kay and the team have it all plotted out.

"We definitely know what's going on," he said. "We've got very strong instincts around what's really true. It's a bit irresponsible to pop those [big moments] in unless you've got a good plan. The thing about writing Lupin is you want to box yourself right into a corner, but you've got to have the escape route, otherwise it's completely haywire.

"We do know what we are not saying."

Lupin parts 1-2 are available to stream now on Netflix. Part 3 arrives on 5th October. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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