After a two-year hiatus, True Detective is officially coming back for a third season with Oscar winner Mahershala Ali returning to television for the leading role. Ali had previously committed to the show earlier this summer, but HBO’s pickup was contingent upon finding a new director for season three. As it turns out, there will be two directors this season: Green Room helmer Jeremy Saulnier and True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto, who will be making his directorial debut.
According to Deadline, the third season storyline will be set in the Ozarks, where “a macabre crime” sets in motion a mystery that will play out over several decades and in three different time periods. Ali’s character will be Wayne Hays, a state police detective in Arkansas. While Hays’ story will be the focus, the multiple time periods suggest that at least two other leading roles will be cast in the series.
Pizzolatto wrote nearly every episode of True Detective season three by himself, with the exception of the fourth episode, which he co-wrote with Deadwood creator David Milch. Deadline is reporting that the new season is still being written and the final episode count has not been locked down. However, since both previous seasons were eight episodes each, it seems likely that the third season will have at least as many episodes as its predecessors.
The first season of True Detective was a smash hit that won critical acclaim and Emmy nominations for Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, while elevating the career of director Cary Joji Fukunaga. The second season, which starred Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and Vince Vaughn, never quite managed to recapture the alchemy of the previous season. But with an exciting star in place with Ali and the inventive eye of Saulnier, we’re excited to see if the series can once again live up to its stellar first season.
What do you want to see from True Detective season three? Share your thoughts in the comment section below before the Yellow King arrives!
Images: ABC/Netflix/Marvel TV
