Director Jeremy Saulnier Leaves ‘True Detective’ After Friction With Series Creator Nic Pizzolatto

It was definitely too good to be true, wasn’t it?

The upcoming, high-anticipated third season of “True Detective” seemed like it was shaping up to be a return to form for the HBO series. After an impressive first season (with stars Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey), “True Detective” faltered in its second season, leaving the future of the series unclear. Then, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali signed on for a third season with “Green Room’s” Jeremy Saulnier to direct, and all was right in the world. Until this weekend.

READ MORE: 9 Ways ‘True Detective’ Season 3 Could Improve On Season 2

This weekend, HBO announced that director Jeremy Saulnier had left production, after only completing two of the eight episodes due to “scheduling conflicts.” No other reason was given for why the director would leave production less than half-way through. According to a report from Variety, we now have a little bit clearer idea of what happened.

The report states, “Sources said the filming on location in Arkansas has been tough at times, and that [series creator and writer Nic] Pizzolatto and Saulnier had differences of opinion on the episodes.” Well, this makes a lot more sense. It also explains why a director, who was only going to be onboard for half the season, would leave before his commitment is finished.

Variety is also reporting that director Daniel Sackheim is taking over for Saulnier. Sackheim and Pizzolatto are going to split helming duties for the remaining six episodes. This would mark Pizzolatto’s first time as a director, after writing every episode of the series. Sackheim, on the other hand, is a veteran TV director, working on such shows as “The Leftovers,” “Ozark,” “The Americans,” and the upcoming “Jack Ryan.”

While Mahershala Ali is the marquee name attached to “True Detective,” Saulnier was the ace in the hole. The director has wowed audiences with his films “Blue Ruin” and “Green Room.” He also has an upcoming Netflix film called “Hold the Dark,” which is gaining a fair amount of buzz. The same way that director Cary Fukunaga broke out after helming “True Detective” season 1, many were anticipating the same thing happening for Saulnier.

Now, with a little bit more free time on his hands, we look forward to whatever Saulnier has coming up next. There’s no release date set for “True Detective” season 3.