Surviving a critical thrashing for its second season, and plenty of #truedetectiveseason3 Twitter jokes, “True Detective” is officially rolling at HBO. The always excellent Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight,” “House Of Cards“) is signed up for the lead role, and now another significant piece of the creative puzzle is in place.
Rising filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier (“Blue Ruin,” “Green Room“) is making his prestige television debut with “True Detective,” co-directing the season with writer/creator Nic Pizzolatto, who will be making his debut behind the camera. Saulnier is a perfect fit for the show, already showing a knack for sensationally ratcheting tension in his films.
READ MORE: ‘True Detective’ Season Three Marches Ahead With Mahershala Ali And “Terrific” Scripts
While the plot for previous seasons were heavily guarded, HBO is letting the word out a bit early, revealing that Ali will be playing police detective Wayne Hayes, in a story set in the Ozarks (look out Netflix!) with the ambitious story involving “a macabre crime” and “a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods.” Well, let’s hope that Pizzolatto keeps his narrative from being overcooked, because as the stark difference between the first two seasons of the show displayed, it’s a fine line between success and failure.
No word yet on how long the season will be or when it’ll roll as Pizzolatto is still writing the scripts, but five episodes are completed, one of which has been co-written by David Milch (“Deadwood“). So, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for this one, because we’d love to see “True Detective” truly rebound, and deliver another great season of atmospheric, noirish storytelling.